The CDU Economic Council is calling for a stronger consolidation of economic strength across Eastern Germany for the Day of German Unity. According to Wolfgang Steiger, the general secretary of the CDU Economic Council, Eastern Germany has proven what is possible when people manage change flexibly and confidently. In his remarks to the Funke Media Group, he emphasized that the population has managed enormous transitions and achieved significant economic success since reunification. However, Steiger stressed that Eastern Germany must move beyond simply being a catch-up region and evolve into a genuine growth engine.
Achieving this requires a new economic policy that consciously and sustainably addresses existing shortcomings while creating the necessary conditions for self-sustaining growth. A key priority must be better integrating Eastern Germany’s economic assets, Steiger continued. He cited Berlin, as a startup metropolis, alongside the university and industrial hubs in the surrounding 200-kilometer radius-Magdeburg, Halle, Leipzig, and Dresden-as prime examples.
These locations should be viewed as a common economic area, fostered through joint spatial planning and structural policy. Steiger urged the federal states to overcome “silo thinking” and cooperate more closely on infrastructure and economic promotion. He noted that the region possesses strong universities, research institutions, and industrial sites, yet its collective potential is not being fully utilized.
Simultaneously, these economic power centers must be better connected. Steiger added that the regions need to be linked through fast and reliable transport routes. This connectivity could particularly benefit less developed areas. He drew a parallel to the Munich metropolitan area, which, during the 1970s and 1980s, expanded far beyond its municipal limits to become a major driver of growth for Bayern.
