Regional Divide

Deutsche Welle: Minister Tiefensee, you not only serve as transport minister but also oversee the development of eastern Germany. What are your duties in this position?

Wolfgang Tiefensee: The new German states are still a part of our country that requires special attention and devotion. That's why the government has set up a post to coordinate these tasks. The commissioner works together with ministers from all departments -- labor market policy, economic policy, education, research and many other areas are all important for eastern Germany. The commissioner coordinates, gives ideas and advocates the interests of the new states.

Germany's reunification happened in 1990. How much longer will it be necessary to have a commissioner of this kind?

I think it makes sense to coordinate these tasks. They are connected, and I think the job will exist for a while. Financial support for the eastern states continues until 2019 -- perhaps that's the point by which things will have to have normalized.

Will the standards of living in the East and West be similar by then?

Actually, in the eastern states, we don't want to imitate the western ones or become like other western European cities. It's more about taking a similar approach in the East and West to the challenges that confront Germany and Europe. The pre-existing conditions vary. I think that the eastern states have a natural advantage -- especially in new industrial sectors like renewable energy, IT and biotechnology, for example.

Investing late in new sectors means a more modern approach to investing, and that's already become apparent. As far as renewable energy goes, every second job in Germany is in eastern Germany.

Nevertheless, unemployment in the new states is still twice as high as in western Germany. When do you think this will even out?

That's the most difficult question. In the eastern states, unemployment is way above 13 percent, while it's at 6 percent in the western states. In addition, those without jobs in eastern Germany are unemployed for long periods of time -- for 12 or even 24 months -- and get stuck in this chronic unemployment with no chance of breaking back into the job market.

How long will this continue? We have to think long-term, because chronic unemployment can only be reduced very slowly. The eastern regions of the new states are experiencing an economic upswing. But this hasn't yet had enough of an effect on the job market. I think it will take at least another 10 years to reduce unemployment.

People from minority or foreign backgrounds tend to shy away from the eastern states. Some decide not to work or study there because they're afraid of being assaulted by neo-Nazis. Can you understand these concerns?

Yes, unfortunately it is the case that the number of xenophobic crimes is higher in the East than in the West. On the other hand, the big cities and many of the medium-sized cities are great places for foreigners to study or work as engineers or skilled laborers.

Many people actually prefer the eastern German states because they can also be particularly hospitable. This is left over from Communist East Germany, when people had a totally different way of interacting with each other.

There are many initiatives in place that are committed to breaking down xenophobia. Often, because there are too few foreigners, people often don't know what they're talking about and arrive at negative judgments. If the number of foreign residents were to increase gradually, then I'm sure that reservations about them would gradually decrease.

You mentioned traditional hospitality in the East. Does eastern Germany have a different value system than western Germany?

I don't think so, but of course 40 years of the GDR didn't go by without having an effect on the population and on individuals. For 40 years, we couldn't travel where we wanted to. Studying abroad was out of the question. We couldn't freely organize clubs or political parties like people in the western states and in Western Europe could. All of that has left its mark.

On the other hand, we can't forget that these were the people -- just like in Poland or Czechoslovakia -- who prepared the peaceful revolution and the globalchange that came with it. The forces involved developed under a dictatorship, and the will to create something is still evident today. People are very happy about finally being able to take responsibility.

I don't think that's a different value system, particularly since the younger generation is assimilating anyway.