Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) spoke to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about expanding the energy infrastructure. "We are facing great challenges together. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has consequences for the whole of Europe. That's why it's important to stand together right now," said Wüst, according to the State Chancellery on Monday in The Hague. Wüst had traveled to the Dutch capital for his inaugural visit.
Hydrogen will be a key to climate neutrality. "We are following the development of a corridor for hydrogen from Spain via Rotterdam to Northwest Europe with great interest. North Rhine-Westphalia wants to be part of this corridor," says Wüst.
North Rhine-Westphalia is also working with the Netherlands to implement the Delta Corridor, a pipeline connection between the port of Rotterdam and North Rhine-Westphalia. The rail route also offers great potential for energy imports. It is about the expansion of the Betuweroute freight route. The cooperation between security and police authorities is to be intensified in the fight against drug-related crime.
With the Einstein telescope, a top-level global research project could be located in the border triangle between the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany: a gravitational wave detector that would allow new insights into the origins of the universe. Rutte and he both agree that the project has great potential for the region, said Wüst.
According to the state government, the Netherlands is the most important trading partner for North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2021, the value of all imports from the Netherlands to North Rhine-Westphalia was around 48.2 billion euros, while goods worth 22.7 billion euros were exported to the Netherlands from North Rhine-Westphalia.
