The Infrastructure Future Act is largely rejected by the Greens, yet NRW’s green transport minister, Oliver Krischer, is more supportive.
He told the Tagesspiegel that the proposal contains several useful measures that could simplify and speed up procedures, especially the planned greater digitalisation of processes and public participation. In current environmental law, large projects are required to undergo a spatial planning procedure before an environmental impact assessment. Krischer finds this redundant for rail projects, calling it a “double check” and favours its abolition.
Another point he welcomes is the requirement that bicycle paths become an integral part of new and replacement road‑bridge construction.
However, he warns that the bill tends to trim participation rights unnecessarily. “It appears to be less about acceleration and more about removing environmental organisations and their legitimate objections” he said.
Krischer argues that delays are rarely caused by environmental standards or participation rules. Instead, over‑burdened administrations and complex inter‑governmental authority structures usually lead to setbacks. He notes that state‑level planning is often released only after the federal government grants approval-“often with significant delays”. In other cases, the lack of funding prevents even build‑ready projects from starting.