RAG-Stiftung

Twelve teams from the Ruhr valley area are delighted to be nominated for the final round of the second edition of the successful school competition “Förderturm der Ideen” (winding tower for ideas). They impressed with their suggestions for how to reshape their environment and their ideas for improving community cohesion. The competition jury (Figure 1), headed up by Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Member of the Board of Executives at the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, and Minister of Education Yvonne Gebauer, chose twelve projects from the Ruhr in four categories for the final online vote. From 6th May 2019, citizens will be able to decide which teams in the Ruhr will emerge victorious. The jury has already selected the two winning teams from the competition entries for Ibbenbüren. They will receive up to 50,000 € to implement their winning ideas. 22 schools took part from many large towns and cities in the area and from Ibbenbüren, with almost 50 project entries for the jury to choose from.

In Ibbenbüren, two winners have been selected directly by the jury this school year. The two winning teams from Ibbenbüren will be announced in the summer at a special award ceremony and will each receive up to 50,000 € to implement their projects.

Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia was clearly impressed by the teams’ innovation: “The jury had some very difficult decisions to make because there were a lot of good project ideas once again in this year’s competition. The high quality of the planning carried out by participants was particularly impressive. Models were built, detailed sketches created and extensive cost plans prepared. I particularly liked that a lot of the students had really endeavoured to incorporate mining values such as solidarity, integration and community into their work. Their effort has paid off: Thanks to their hard work and dedication, they have come up with some sustainable and inspiring ideas for the former mining regions. I am delighted for the Ibbenbüren winning teams and wish the finalists in the Ruhr all the best for the vote!”

The other jury members – including representatives from the culture, science and youth communities – helped with the process of selecting the finalists by contributing their valuable expertise. Among others, Leane Schäfer, Director of Gelsenkirchen Art Museum and spokesperson for the RuhrKunstMuseen association of museums, and Prof. Hermann Josef Abs, Chair of Education at the University of Duisburg-Essen, had an eye for particularly imaginative, innovative and social projects. The jury also included a member of the state pupils’ representative body (LandesschülerInnenvertretung) as a representative of the younger generation.

Minister Yvonne Gebauer was thoroughly impressed by all the different competition entries: “Once again this year, lots of young people have really put a lot of thought into the issue and come up with some exciting, creative ideas for how to transform where they live. This commitment to society sets an excellent example and needs to be recognised. The “Förderturm der Ideen” competition gives children and young people the chance to actively shape their environment and take responsibility for the future. Placing this trust in the younger generation makes a region strong. I am excited to see which ideas are successful in the online vote and wish all the finalists the very best of luck.”

The “Förderturm der Ideen” school competition, which took place for the very first time in the 2016/2017 school year as part of the “Glückauf Zukunft!” campaign and was extremely well received, was so successful that the RAG-Stiftung decided to hold it again in the 2018/2019 school year. All schools at lower and upper secondary level and all vocational schools and technical colleges in the Ruhr, Saarland and Ibbenbüren had until the end of February to submit their ideas for how to make their environment, their neighbourhood, their town/village more attractive and improve community cohesion. The jury made their decision for Saarland on 17th April 2019, with two winning projects also selected in this region. The RAG-Stiftung will award up to 50,000 € for the implementation of the best ideas. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

Kamp-Lintfort/Germany, at the edge of the Ruhr valley area: In a place once dominated by noise, dirt, sweat and coal, there is to be a horticultural show in 2020, with millions of visitors descending on the former mining site of Friedrich-Heinrich mine. How to transform former working sites into local recreation areas was one of the focal points of “NACHBergbauzeit in NRW” (Post-mining era in North Rhine-Westphalia). The District Government of Arnsberg as the mining authority for North Rhine-Westphalia and the TH Georg Agricola University (THGA) in Bochum/Germany held the joint specialist conference for the fifth time on 7th March 2019 (Figure 1). Some 300 experts who gathered in Bochum focused this time on the challenges and prospects – and above all, the opportunities – of the post-mining era. As a symbol of this, the former Friedrich-Heinrich mine was featured on this year’s programme flyer.

The event was opened by Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Member of the Board of Executives at the RAG-Stiftung, Essen. She took an optimistic view of the future following the end of coal mining in Germany: “The Ruhr was once an important region for mining expertise, now it is a centre of knowledge for the post-mining era. We all want the former mining sites to move forward in their economic development and secure new places of work.” This is one of the reasons why the RAG-Stiftung is supporting the THGA in the scientific training and development of post-mining experts and the research of so-called “perpetual obligations”.

These perpetual obligations include mine water management, polder measures and groundwater management. “These are issues that are more relevant than ever before and that we will be dealing with for many decades to come,” says Mining Assessor Friedrich Wilhelm Wagner, Head of the Department of Mining and Energy in North Rhine-Westphalia in the District Government of Arnsberg. He explains that the fact that the current federal state government has incorporated these aspects in its coalition agreements demonstrates the important role that post-mining issues will play in the future. Even the mining authority itself is planning to expand its risk management activities, according to Wagner, “from the area of abandoned shafts to near-surface mining with its drift systems and water-carrying tunnels.” Others will also benefit from the expertise. Similar problems are also being encountered in many other regions of Germany, particularly in the former coal and ore districts of Bavaria, Lower Saxony, Saxony and Thuringia.

However, even though a lot of research and engineering work is already being carried out, the post-mining era is only just beginning, says University President Prof. Jürgen Kretschmann. “A lot more knowledge needs to be developed and shared. Events like “NACHBergbauzeit in NRW” will help us to do that.” Stakeholders from the science community, business, local communities and authorities engaged in interdisciplinary dialogue over the course of eleven specialist presentations and many lively discussions. “Like mining, post-mining involves everyone,” says Kretschmann. He believes that the significant interest shown by all sides at this early stage demonstrates that post-mining will be an extremely important issue in the future: “If we maintain and build on the current progress being made in the Ruhr, this will enable us to take on a leading international role in post-mining.” The THGA is making good headway in this regard. Since 2015, the university has been investigating the urgent issues that will need to be addressed when mining stops at a unique post-mining research centre. The THGA offers a master’s course in geological engineering and post-mining that teaches young people how to plan and implement the complex processes involved in closing power stations and the follow-up work required – in some cases, in perpetuity. (THGA/Si.)

At its scheduled meeting on 1st April 2019, the RAG-Stiftung Board of Trustees appointed Jürgen-Johann Rupp as the new CFO of RAG-Stiftung, Essen. Rupp took over the position from Helmut Linssen on 5th April 2019. As announced at the start of December 2018, Linssen resigned from his position on account of his age. Rupp has already held various positions within the RAG Group over a period of many years, including CFO of RAG Aktiengesellschaft since 2008.

On 3rd December 2018, at the regular meeting of Essen-based RAG-Stiftung’s board of trustees, Helmut Linssen announced that he is resigning his post as CFO at RAG-Stiftung, effective as of 1st April 2019, due to his age. His successor will be chosen in the next meeting of the board of trustees on 1st April 2019.

Prof. Eberhard Schmidt, who was Head of the Central Division of Communication and Sustainability at RAG Aktiengesellschaft -until 30th June 2018, moved to the RAG-Stiftung in Essen/Germany in the same role on 1st July 2018.

On 3rd November 2018, citizens, active and former miners and their families, mining clubs and local groups of the IG BCE trade union can say farewell to the German coal mining industry at five different RAG locations in the Ruhr region and Ibbenbüren as part of the “Danke Kumpel!” (“Thanks, miners!”) event (Figure 1). Those who are interested are invited to send in their own personal good wishes. These will be presented on the day of the event.

On 3rd November, under the slogan of “Danke Kumpel!” , the work and output of the miners will be commemorated at five different RAG locations in the Ruhr region and Ibbenbüren before the last coal is extracted on 21st December 2018. The events will be held outdoors.

Citizens are invited to post their own personal messages of farewell to the German coal mining industry at www.glueckauf-zukunft.de or to send them in by mail. All citizens will therefore have the opportunity to express their personal gratitude by sending good wishes. Visitors will also be able to pass on their greetings on the day of the event. They will be projected live onto a large screen and displayed throughout the entire event. Some of the messages that are sent in will be pre-selected to appear on a commemorative installation. One of these installations will remain at each location as a tribute to the German coal mining industry.

Entry is free, although a ticket will be required. Those who would like to attend can book their tickets online at www.glueckauf-zukunft.de or by calling +49 (0) 211 51332 252.

Further information is available at: www.glueckauf-zukunft.de // www.facebook.com/RAGStiftung // www.twitter.com/ragstiftung (RAG/Si.)

In its tenth anniversary year, the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, can look back on another successful financial year. At its annual press conference, which was held for the first time at the new headquarters of the RAG-Stiftung and RAG Aktiengesell-schaft at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen, the foundation’s Board of Executives (Figure 1) reported on the business developments of the past fiscal year and provided an insight into what the future might hold without a coal mining industry in Germany. Accompanying reports also rate the risk of heave-related damage as extremely low. On this basis, RAG is confident that no damage of any kind will arise. The company has announced that there is no need to make use of the subsidence compensation wavers previously agreed by home-owners in land registries.

At the start of the annual press conference, Bernd Tönjes, who became the Chairman of the RAG-Stiftung’s Board of Executives on 24th May 2018, once again expressed recognition for his predecessor: “Dr. Werner Müller and his outstanding life achievement have my wholehearted respect. As the founding father of the RAG-Stiftung, he leaves behind a great legacy. It is incumbent upon me and my colleagues on the Board of Executives to continue along the path he has defined.”

The RAG-Stiftung is well-positioned to master the tasks that lie ahead. At the start of 2019, it will make the first payment honouring the perpetual obligations of the German coal mining industry. To fulfil these obligations, the foundation will reliably generate the necessary income from its assets, which amount to more than 17 bn €. “Our responsibility will not end when coal mining is discontinued in Germany – that’s when it will really begin,” reinforces Tönjes, with reference to the impending post-mining era.

In 2017, the foundation’s profit of 430 m € (2016: 393 m €) once again significantly exceeded the estimated annual expenditure for the perpetual obligations, which will amount to approximately 220 m €/a This is the highest annual profit since the foundation’s creation – apart from the surpluses in 2008 and 2013, in which a larger amount of Evonik shares were sold. The total provision for the perpetual obligations amounted to 5.27 bn € at the end of 2017 (2016: 4.84 bn €).

The RAG-Stiftung’s largest source of income is still its high-yielding participation in Evonik Industries AG, which once again contributed more than 360 m € to the foundation’s profits last year through its annual dividend payout. At the same time, the RAG-Stiftung continues to systematically diversify its capital investments. “To date, the foundation has invested more than 40 % of its assets in companies other than Evonik,” reported Chief Financial Officer Helmut Linssen. In addition to its shares in Vivawest, to the value of approximately 1.5 bn €, the foundation has other long-term equity investments totalling 5.9 bn € (as of December 2017). In 2017 alone, the foundation spent almost 1.3 bn € on new capital investments. “In spite of the low-interest environment, it’s still possible to make a profit in the capital market,” said Linssen. The foundation’s rate of return from its other capital investments was also greater than 6 % in 2017.

Bärbel Bergerhoff-Wodopia, Executive Board member responsible for human resources issues and funding activities, praised the miners’ efforts during the run-up to the discontinuation of Germany’s coal mining industry: “They deserve tremendous respect. Although they know that mining will be discontinued at the end of 2018, they still perform their jobs with a high level of motivation, day in day out, and prepare for the closure of their mines.” In the last year of coal mining in Germany, the downsizing of the mining workforce is proceeding in a socially acceptable manner according to plan. The foundation has further stepped up its funding activities. In this way, the foundation, which focuses its funding on educational projects for young people, is living up to its social responsibility in the soon-to-be-former mining regions and helping to make them fit for the future. In 2018, the foundation will spend a total of 16.5 m € on education, science and culture. It is also continuing its support activities for refugees, and through its educational projects it is smoothing the path of young refugees into German society.

The “Glückauf Zukunft!” initiative, greeting the future in the traditional way of German miners, which was launched in 2016 to prepare for the discontinuation of Germany’s coal mining industry, has developed numerous projects and events and is currently heading toward a period of peak activity. Its activities will include street festivals to celebrate miners and the central ceremony of farewell to mining at the Prosper-Haniel mine in December 2018, which will offer further commemoration of achievements of the mining industry. The “Glückauf Zukunft!” initiative has generated significant momentum for the further development of the mining regions – momentum that will continue to have an impact after the end of the coal mining industry. All projects and events organised by the initiative can be found under www.glueckauf-zukunft.de. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

With the project “Glückauf neighbours – model mining district integration”, which originated as part of the “Glückauf Zukunft!” initiative, the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, RAG Montan Immobilien, Essen/Germany, and VIVAWEST, Gelsenkirchen/Germany, are providing inspiration for successful integration in mining districts. The term “integration” is widely used in the project and refers not only to migration, but also to the participation of all sectors of society, regardless of origin, age, religion, or social status. In the form of a toolbox, the project delivers 26 solution approaches and 52 implementation ideas, which reinforce diversity, togetherness and quality of life in the region in equal measure, and are not only used in many districts in the Ruhr-gebiet, but also in other towns and urban areas. The toolbox was presented on 20th June 2018 during a symposium at the Zoll-verein UNESCO World Heritage Site in Essen.

“After the discontinuation of active mining, the Ruhrgebiet must remain and continue to develop as an attractive and appealing region for people to live,” stated Bernd Tönjes, Chairman of the Executive Board of the RAG-Stiftung, in his opening speech at the symposium (Figure 1). As an industrial urban area, the Ruhrgebiet is facing great challenges that it will need to overcome in future. In addition to changes in the economic situation, social developments such as demographic changes, increasing social contrasts and the integration of people of different ages, religions and cultures also generate a huge pressure for action. “With the “Glückauf neighbours” project, we want to prove our responsibility and desire for change and make a positive contribution to the subject of integration, particularly against the backdrop of the upcoming Ruhr conferences,” Tönjes continued.

“In 2018, the final coal mines in Bottrop and Ibbenbüren will close. This marks the end of a major chapter in the history of Germany and North-Rhine Westphalia. However, as one chapter ends, another begins, and brings opportunities for something new. This is the purpose behind the “Glückauf Zukunft!” initiative, and specifically the project “Glückauf neighbours – model mining district integration”. In this context, the symposium engages with issues surrounding the co-habitation of people, neighbourhoods, and thus with the core meaning of home. Home becomes tangible within neighbourhoods and day-to-day life. This is not an exclusive model – on the contrary, it is inclusive. This symposium is an important milestone towards continuing this inclusivity and securing sustainable development of our mining districts. “With this project, the RAG-Stiftung, RAG Montan Immobilien and VIVAWEST are breaking new ground in their industry and demonstrating a commitment to integration in the district,” says Ina Scharrenbach, Minister for Home, Community, Construction, and Equality for the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, and patron of the project.

The project followed an innovative two-stage process. In the first phase, the “brainstorming” phase, six experts from different technical disciplines developed proposals for successful integration in the district. In the subsequent “workshop phase”, four international, interdisciplinary planning teams used these proposals to develop comprehensive concepts with solution approaches to promote integration in the district. The residents of the districts were involved in the process at various times.

The result of the project is a toolbox containing a wide range of transferable solution approaches and valuable implementation ideas for the promotion of integration in the district. The solution approaches structured in this toolbox range from shared community housing to a workshop yard and even a bicycle/wheeled walker superhighway. The toolbox can be used in many districts in the Ruhrgebiet, but is also applicable in other cities and urban areas. The solution approaches were developed based on two selected example districts: The built-up district of Duisburg-Vierlinden, and the Kamp-Lintfort Friedrich-Heinrich district with the as-yet undeveloped area around the shut-down Bergwerk West mine.

With the “Glückauf neighbours” project, the initiators are realising their responsibility and determination to shape the future of the Ruhrgebiet into a desirable region to live, beyond the end of the coal mining industry. In this sense, the initiative is truly a showcase project, showing a combined, responsible approach by commercial enterprises towards actively shaping a current socio-political issue. (RAG-Stiftung/Si.)

Prof. Eberhard Schmidt, who was Head of the Central Division of Communication and Sustainability at RAG Aktiengesellschaft ­until 30th June 2018, moved to the RAG-Stiftung in Essen/Germany in the same role on 1st July 2018.

At the regular meeting of the RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, board of trustees on 9th May 2018, Bernd Tönjes was, as expected, unanimously elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Executives for RAG-Stiftung for a five-year term. He succeeds Werner Müller, who, as he announced on 28th February 2018, on 24th May 2018 stepped down from this role and from his seats on the supervisory boards of Evonik Industries AG, RAG AG and Deutsche Steinkohle AG for health reasons. At this same meeting, the board of trustees also elected Müller to Honorary Chairman of the Board of Executives for the RAG-Stiftung in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the establishment of the RAG-Stiftung and its continued success.