On the 35th anniversary of the unification Germany her first report was submitted by the new Commissioner of the Government for the East, barely a little older than unification. She especially wondered - did the young people in the two parts of the country grow up united?
Elizabeth Kaiser comes from Gera in the German federal state of Thuringia. The Government Commissioner for the Eastern Provinces was born in 1987, when Germany was still divided. Two years later, the Berlin Wall fell, and on October 3, 1990, communist East Germany (GDR) became history, reports Deutsche says.
"I did not consciously experience the period of reunification, but I was shaped by the stories my parents and grandparents told me," Kaiser writes in his annual report, presented in Berlin on the eve of German Unity Day.
It is the first time for the 38-year-old social democrat, since she has only been in office since May, when the new federal government was formed.
Are young adults united?
In the report, political scientist and sociologist Kaiser focuses on the question of how younger people perceive Germany, which has been united for 35 years. The very title "Growing Up in Unity?" suggests that differences between west and east still exist.
Formally, the answer is "yes", because there is only one German state. "We, the children of the late 1980s and 1990s, are the first generation to be socialized in unified Germany," says Kaiser in the foreword of the report.
"However, for young people growing up there, 'East' is still much more than a geographical term. It is a space that shapes identities and influences biographies," she emphasizes.
East German identity more pronounced
Kaiser, who studied at the University of Potsdam in the eastern state of Brandenburg, notices differences compared to younger people from the west.
"Many young people coming from the territory of the old Federal Republic cannot identify with the label of West German - especially if they live on the coast or near the Alps. In contrast, young East Germans are much more likely to identify as East Ossians," she states, using popular slang for East Germans.
From the point of view of the Commissioner for Eastern Provinces, there are valid reasons for this. Although young Germans have been growing up in the same country for three and a half decades, the conditions of that upbringing still differ significantly. "This particularly applies to areas outside the East German metropolises."
Lower incomes, more welfare
Kaiser points to the federal government's so-called Equality Report. It shows that in smaller cities and rural areas in the east, public transport and health facilities are no longer fully provided. In addition, people there earn below-average wages and are more dependent on welfare benefits than the country as a whole.
"Prosperity is also lower in the East than in the West," Kaiser adds. In addition, the aging of the population in the rural parts of eastern Germany is significantly more pronounced. The proportion of young people is far below the national average. "It shapes the life path of many East Germans into adulthood."
According to her, they can count on financial support from their parents much less often than their peers in the west of Germany.
Rich West, Poor East
When presenting the report, Kaiser explained this aspect in more detail: "To this day, young people in the East are at a disadvantage because wealth is primarily inherited."
Data from the Federal Statistical Office for 2024 makes this clear: in the western provinces more than 106 billion euros of inheritance or gifts were taxed, while in the east, including Berlin, the figure was less than 7 billion euros.
Per capita, it is almost four times more in the west - just under 1600 euros, compared to only 400 euros in the east. The Commissioner for Eastern Provinces considers these differences problematic and adds that the discussion on inheritance tax reform is not a bad idea.
A state "gift" of 20.000 euros for everyone?
On this topic, Kaiser builds on earlier proposals by experts from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW): the state should pay all young adults a kind of "inheritance" of 20.000 euros.
This could be used, for example, to finance education, start a business or invest in real estate.
The "Inheritance for All" Foundation considers the idea achievable and financially sustainable: "It would be paid from a fund that is filled with a small levy on large inheritances," according to their website. According to their calculations, five percent of the annual inheritance tax would be enough to realize that idea.
Cementing property inequality
Kaiser, however, is aware that the debate on inheritance tax reform is a sensitive issue within the ruling coalition. There is some support in her SPD party, but in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, almost no one is ready to "touch that hot potato."
Therefore, even 35 years after reunification, the significant financial differences between East and West are unlikely to change anytime soon.
Elisabeth Kaiser's overall assessment is therefore mixed: East Germany has developed well in many areas, the economy has grown, there is a vibrant startup scene and the east is a pioneer in the development of renewable energy sources.
But none of that will be enough to close the gap with the West in the long run. It will become even more difficult due to the rapid aging of the population in the east and the emigration of many young people from those regions.
Two million people left the east
Excluding Berlin, the east has lost around two million inhabitants since reunification in 1990 – a 16 percent drop. Today, the five eastern federal provinces together have about 12,5 million inhabitants.
In the same period, the population of West Germany increased by ten percent - to almost 68 million people.
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