Eastern countries want more skilled workers from abroad

The East German heads of government have called on the federal government to remove obstacles to the recruitment of foreign skilled workers. Securing skilled workers must be a top priority, said Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff (CDU) after a meeting of East German heads of government in Berlin. In the view of the federal states, improvements should be made in areas such as visa procedures and the recognition of foreign professional qualifications.

The eastern German federal states are suffering particularly badly from the drop in the birth rate. For every two people who retire, there is currently only about one more. The eastern German states now want to work with the federal government to develop a skilled labor strategy entitled "Professions of the Future". Haseloff emphasized that immigration via the labour market is necessary, but not into the social systems.

Länder call for rapid expansion of railroad lines

In addition, the heads of the eastern German governments are pushing for the rapid expansion of railroad lines to the east. Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) cited the expansion of the Eastern Railway in Brandenburg as an example. The line from Berlin to Küstrin and further towards Poland has not yet been electrified and is only single-track on the German side in parts. Haseloff also emphasized that more needs to be done to connect to Eastern Europe.

The federal states are also asking the federal government to examine whether they can be given more support in planning procedures. This involves an increase in the so-called planning cost lump sum. It was said that financially weaker states are particularly burdened when it comes to pre-financing planning costs.