Prime Minister conference: East German countries require more influence

In view of the great dissatisfaction of many citizens and strong AfD results, the East German countries are calling for more hearing and influence in federal politics. This includes an “appropriate representation of East Germany in the new federal government” and an Eastern representative with a cabinet rank, according to a decision by the Prime Minister from Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.

They also asked for an investment offensive in their countries at a conference in Berlin, also with the help of the 500 billion euro pot for infrastructure. “The special fund must be made available to the federal states quickly and unbureaucratically,” said the chairman of the East Minister President of the Minister, Thuringia’s head of Prime Minister Mario Voigt. “And the countries must then be able to decide how they use it according to their respective priorities.”

“Record people’s trust”

The East has a good experience with planning acceleration in traffic routes, you can learn from this, said the CDU politician. “If we go after it, we can actually have PS on the street in half a year.” People had lost trust in politics in the east and West. That means “that we have to regain the trust of the people through deeds”.

The AfD had become the strongest party everywhere in the Bundestag election everywhere in the East German countries. In surveys, many East Germans express themselves dissatisfied with political and economic development. It has been complained for years that East Germans are missing in management positions. For example, no person from East Germany is sitting in the Presidium of the new Bundestag.

A fifth of the cabinet

Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke said that at least one fifth of the posts in the new federal cabinet had to be filled with East Germans. “This number does not solve all problems that we have in management positions with the underrepresentation of East Germany,” said the SPD politician. “But it is an important symbol.”

Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) said: “The all that crucial is that the cabinet actually also depicts our society, our country. Of course, East German biographies also have to vote in East Germans.”

With a view to the customs dispute with the USA, Voigt said concern. Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also warned: “This is an issue, and unfortunately that also depends on site.” In your state, for example, a car supplier is affected. “We see this with great concern that jobs are being broken down.”

Schwesig named the continuation of regional economic development and the reduction of energy costs as important East German topics to overcome the economic flaut in the Federal Republic. She also insisted on starting a “Germany turbo” with the large billions of billions for infrastructure.

As a guest of the conference, the President of the IHK Ostthüringen, Ralf-Uwe Bauer, emphasized the “extremely positive economic experiences” in East Germany since 1990. Nevertheless, mandatory tasks would have to be solved politically. “This includes the questions of reducing bureaucracy, energy theme, labor costs and many, many more topics,” said Bauer.

In their decision, the Eastern Minister Prime Minister also campaigned to ensure a comprehensive medical care in the country. For this purpose, land doctor quotas should be better exploited and expanded.