Greens want to increase their presence in eastern Germany

The Greens want to step up their efforts to win over voters in eastern Germany. "Sustainable growth of green politics faces greater resistance in the east than in any other region," states the federal executive board's motion for the small party conference on April 6 in Berlin. The Federal Executive Board wants to "make a local presence in East German district associations a priority from this early summer".

Festival for "encouragement and networking"

The paper entitled "Clear. Grün-Konstruktiv: Auf dem Weg in eine starke Opposition" is available to Deutsche Presse-Agentur as an excerpt. It states that there is a need for continuous support for the work of the Greens on the ground from the state and federal level, more networking, including in the wider society, and "a clear joint strategy", which, among other things, should improve the "visibility of eastern perspectives".

In autumn, the federal Green Party association wants to organize "a green festival" in the east, which should serve to "encourage and network" Greens and sympathizers.

Maues Abschneide im Osten

The party also wants to become more present in East German and social media and give East German topics a higher priority in its media work. The federal executive board wants to work with the East German state associations to collect proposals for "a sustainable strengthening of the Greens in the East". The federal office also wants to raise more money for the East German regional associations.

The Greens have been struggling with poor election results in eastern Germany for some time, particularly in rural areas. The party's leading candidates in nationwide election campaigns generally focus their appearances on the west of the country, with a few detours to the east. There is also a cost-benefit calculation behind this, because significantly fewer people live in eastern Germany.