Our mission statement

A union of the City of Wilhelmshaven and the administrative districts of Friesland, Wesermarsch and Wittmund, the newly formed JadeBay Region is on the brink of venturing into a new economic future. Since the start of this millennium, concepts and actions have taken on an ever greater international dimension for us here in the region – at least, in areas where new developments give rise to new opportunities. Our mission statement reflects this same trend.

Unspoilt region with clearly developed strengths

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Previously, until well into the post World-War-II period, agriculture characterised the greater part of the region and continues to do so in places even today. Industries can be found, for example, in Nordenham and Brake on the River Weser, which is also the home of the medium-sized shipyard industry. These enterprises enjoy a high degree of regard throughout the world, possess the very finest cutting-edge technologies and are internationally competitive. They form a key independent industrial cluster. Until now, further industries in the north of Wilhelmshaven (chemicals, energy production) remained "one-offs", sole representatives of unrelated, individual branches of industry. The City of Wilhelmshaven was founded as a Prussian naval port in the 19th century. It's the home port of the German navy, but so far has played only a rather insignificant role as an international commercial port. Rounding off the picture are small and medium-sized enterprises which operate as component suppliers to the trade and industrial sectors.

Consequently, the passage of time has brought relatively little change to the original characteristic landscape of the coast and its hinterland. This, on the other hand, has generated brisk developments in the tourism branch – an aspect which many municipalities in the coastal region focussed on in the second half of the 20th century. With the help of a carefully planned concept, tourism is to be further developed as one of the mainstays of economic life. This plan has certainly received an extra boost since the Wadden Sea has been included in the list of United Nations World Heritage Sites.

An analysis of the JadeBay Region to date yields mixed results. Although still relatively insignificant as an industrial region, JadeBay can boast several companies which are outstanding in their respective fields. While international trade is – as yet – even less developed, the tourism sector is enjoying constant growth.

Future-oriented location with prime prospects

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Dominated previously by agriculture, the region will undergo a decisive change in the near future. The JadeBay Region will become home to Germany's most modern and innovative container terminal. As the most easterly of all deep-water ports on the "North-Range“ and the only deep-water port in Germany, it will have capacity for the new mammoth ships which already sail the world's oceans. They will bring freight from around the world– in particular from Asia – to Wilhelmshaven and carry products from the European Union to all corners of the world. Enormous potential exists here for entrepreneurial action both in and for the region.

Technological progress and government-sponsored improvements lead to completely new approaches in economic development. For example, the construction, assembly and shipment of wind-power stations for the North Sea and the entire world has led to a range of new activities and business establishments on our coast. A further area of entrepreneurial initiative is the storage of strategic reserves of crude oil and gas in enormous natural caverns. And finally, the port and its associated logistics are top-ranking economic motors.

Consequently, the region provides lucrative opportunities for local, national and also, above all, international enterprises. We want you all to find a place to settle and call home in our region, to be successful here – both as competitors and partners – and as a result, contribute to the common good of our region. This is our goal: to make the JadeBay Region a strongly competitive partner in international economic affairs.

Our "International Location Marketing" is complemented by activities which focus on those parts of the region not associated with the ports and key industries. Tourism will help to compensate for the lack of industrial and commercial structures in these areas, so the target-oriented development of tourism continues to be our priority here. We aim to achieve a situation where economic industrial activity and an interesting range of tourist attractions coexist in perfect harmony.

We shall also promote the development of existing main industries – chemicals, refineries, shipbuilding, and energy production. They are the industrial foundations on which we shall continue to build in future.

Our realistic vision

The JadeBay Region will interact with the world, will enjoy a highly-varied economic exchange and become a recognised location for international operations. It will then be the "Pan European Gateway" – the gateway to the world.

In this situation, young people will be able to find jobs with a secure and promising future in their region –a criterion we consider crucial for success. To achieve this goal, we are therefore strengthening cooperation between all persons involved in the areas of training and qualification.