Geopolitics of Baltic Sea Communication- Linking the Periphenes with the Centre

  • Bertil Haggman
Keywords: geopolitics, combined transport, transport in the Baltic area

Abstract

An attempt is made in this essay to explain the importanceof a new link around the Baltic Sea being constructed to thecore of Europe with a possible net of the Superspeed MaglevSystem Transrapid with a speed of 300 miles/hr.The geopolitics of Baltic Sea communication is to a greatextent based on the peripherial position of Europe's northeastemcountries. A Transrapid net around the Baltic Sea wouldlink these countries to the core of Europe. An imp01tant ingredientin the link are bridges and tunnels. The Oresund FixedLink with its fUnnel and bridge will be the first fiXed link betweenDenmark and the Scandinavian peninsula in hist01y andfully completed in the summer of 2000. A railway tunnel betweenElsinore (Denmark) and Helsingborg (Sweden) isneeded in the beginning of the 21st century as an additionallink. Other submarine tunnel projects of geopolitical importanceare the Fehmam Belt and Falster Belt [!X.ed links betweenGe1many and Scandinavia as well as Nontiilje (Sweden) -Mariehamn (A land Islands) -Abo/Turkku (Finland) and Helsinki(Finland) - Tallinn (Estonia) tunnels.lmp01tant new possibilities exist for extending tunnel construction.The Symonds Group (an important London constructionand planning company) is working on prefab submalinetunnels. These are expected to be used across the St.George Channel between Dublin and Holyhead (about 90km). The tunnel technique has been used for the Oresund FixedLink and the Danish tunnel section of the link was completedin March 1999. Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia,Lithuania and n01thwestem Russia would receive a structuralboost with substantial consequences with the new TransrapidNet and its submarine and bridge links.

References

The Baltic Sea Region -Business and Industry, Politics,

Developments and Trends, Bollschweil, Germany:

Hagbarth Publications, 1998 (from the preface by Wolf

Fiidiger Janzen, President of the Baltic Sea Chambers of

Commerce Association, and Johannes Koroma, Director

General of the Confederation of Finnish Industry

and Employers).

Pressinformation, 26 March, 1998. Based on a study by

consultants COWl in Denmark and Scandiaconsult in

Sweden.

U. Anttikosk:i- V. Castn!n- T. Cronvall, Helsinki-Tallinn

Railway Tunnel - Utopia or Opp011unity? (17 June,

.

Press release, 11 June 1994, Helsinki-Tallinn Railway

Tunnel.

The Helsinki-Tallinn Rail Tunnel- Shortcut to Central

Europe (Summary of the preliminary project plan of 10

April, 1997).

How to Cite
1.
Haggman B. Geopolitics of Baltic Sea Communication- Linking the Periphenes with the Centre. Promet [Internet]. 1 [cited 2024Oct.10];11(2-3):97-104. Available from: https://traffic.fpz.hr/index.php/PROMTT/article/view/1152
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