East German heads of government meet with Merz and Pistorius

The prime ministers of the eastern German states are meeting today (9.30 am) at Ettersburg Castle near Weimar. Topics on the agenda include the defense structure in eastern Germany, economic policy and the fight against hate online. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and East German Commissioner Elisabeth Kaiser (both SPD) are also expected to attend the conference. For Merz, the appearance in Thuringia will be his first official visit to East Germany since taking office as Chancellor.

East German states insist on contracts

Before the East German Minister Presidents' Conference, Saxony and Thuringia had called for greater consideration to be given to the awarding of contracts to strengthen Germany's defense capabilities. According to the Federal Association of the German Security and Defense Industry, the vast majority of Germany's armaments sites are located in the western federal states for historical reasons.

Thuringia's Minister President Mario Voigt (CDU) recently pointed out the importance of the East German infrastructure for Germany's security due to its geographical location. Saxony's head of government Michael Kretschmer (CDU) proposed an East German component in the awarding of contracts. Both hope for economic impulses for their states in the distribution of defense billions from the federal government.