In the view of the East German minister presidents, the East of Germany must be adequately represented in a new federal government. The commissioner for eastern Germany must continue to have cabinet rank in order to keep the structural differences between east and west visible. The CDU/CSU wants to reduce the number of government commissioners and dispense with the Commissioner for Eastern Germany, while the SPD wants to retain the office.
"We also expect federal ministers with an East German background to be appointed," reads a seven-page joint declaration by the East German minister presidents. These demands must be taken into account in a new coalition agreement.
The declaration is entitled "Shaping the future region of eastern Germany together". In it, the heads of government of the eastern German federal states call on the CDU/CSU and SPD not to lose sight of eastern Germany as a region of the future in their coalition negotiations, but rather to strengthen and promote it.
In the 35th year of German reunification, Germany is at a political turning point. "Citizens rightly expect a new beginning for society and the economy as a whole," says the paper, which lists demands in the areas of the economy, energy and society, among others.
