‘German coalition agreement is a major success for the EMR-region’
The government of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has responded enthusiastically to the passages on the Einstein Telescope in the coalition agreement of the new federal government in Berlin. North Rhine-Westphalia is an important partner in the Einstein Telescope project. The RWTH Aachen University of Technology also sees this as a positive sign for the construction of the telescope in this Euregio.
NRW government
The NRW Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media and Head of the State Chancellery, Nathanael Liminski, said in a statement this week:
‘The provisional commitment to the Einstein Telescope as a leading European project in the coalition agreement is a great success for the opportunities of the three countries working together. This region combines geological suitability with the best infrastructure conditions and a realistic financing option. The close and successful cooperation with the European partner countries and regions also clearly demonstrates the region’s potential.’
Agreement
In Germany, the leaders of the CDU, CSU and SPD recently reached agreement on a new coalition agreement. At a press conference on 9 April 2025, the party leaders declared that their goal was to make Germany stable, secure and economically stronger again through reforms and investments. Against this backdrop, the coalition agreement also includes a commitment to realise the Einstein Telescope, partly because it is of great importance on a European scale.
The inclusion of the Einstein Telescope in the coalition agreement is therefore also of great importance in view of the efforts of the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia to submit a joint application with the German federal government for the realisation of the Einstein Telescope in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. In the Netherlands and Flanders, more than a billion euros in investment funds have already been earmarked for the construction of the Einstein Telescope. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has also pledged a contribution, provided that the German government makes a significant contribution.
RWTH Aachen
In a press release, RWTH Aachen University also expressed its delight and pride. RWTH, an important scientific partner of the Einstein Telescope, quotes Prof. Dr Achim Stahl, who says he is very pleased that this increases the chances of the Einstein Telescope being built in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine.
The Aachen physicists are particularly pleased with two sentences in the coalition agreement: ‘We are participating in the competition for a gravitational wave detector’ and ‘We support the construction of the Einstein Telescope in Germany as a top European project’. No decision has yet been made as to whether the German government wants to build the project in the Belgium/Netherlands/Germany border region or in Saxony, but ‘I am confident that we will bring the Einstein Telescope to the Euregio Meuse-Rhine,’ said Achim Stahl.
