SPD and Greens want to retain the office of Commissioner for Eastern Europe

Politicians from the SPD and the Greens have rejected calls from the CDU/CSU to abolish the office of Commissioner for Eastern European Affairs. Frank Junge, chairman of the SPD parliamentary group for Eastern Germany, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND): "We still have differences between East and West and must take them into account. A Commissioner for Eastern Germany can continue to help us with this. That's why I am very much in favor of retaining the post."

The spokesperson for the East regional group in the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Paula Piechotta, has a similar view. She referred to differences in life expectancy and wealth as well as the low number of East Germans in management positions. As long as these differences exist, a commissioner for the East is needed, she told RND.

The deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Sepp Müller, on the other hand, reaffirmed the Union's position. "We no longer need a commissioner for the East. In the 35th year of German reunification, I think this office is outdated," the CDU politician from Saxony-Anhalt told RND. There are still problems specific to the East, such as differences in wages or inheritances, which need to be addressed, but there are also structurally weak regions in West Germany.

The office of Commissioner for the East has been held by SPD politician Carsten Schneider since 2021. The position is based in the Federal Chancellery. Together with the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Government, the Commissioner for Eastern Germany is tasked with completing unification, according to the website of the Commissioner for Eastern Germany. The CDU/CSU wants to reduce the number of government commissioners overall.