The North Rhine-Westphalia CDU leader and Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst is calling for more exchange between East and West Germany. “It is time for a Unification Treaty 2.0, which, in addition to formal unity, also brings people together better – for greater trust and cohesion between East and West,” Wüst told the editorial network Germany.
His aim is to “agree on a number of projects – for example, to bring young people from East and West closer together. “Because exchange creates trust and opens up perspectives for more mutual understanding.”
For example, it is about an exchange like that known from European town twinning, said the CDU politician. He has the impression that many people from North Rhine-Westphalia have never been to the – not so new anymore – states. “Some people know Mallorca better than Saxony or Thuringia. That makes it all the more worth trying to bring people closer together again.”
Wüst also spoke out in favor of reviving the Round Table, as it existed at the time of reunification. “The time of reunification was shaped by the idea of the Round Table: At that time, very different people came together with the one goal of working towards a better democratic future.”
When he looks at society today – East and West – he wishes for “this open approach to one another in conversation; to sit down at a table instead of shouting from afar.” Because it is important to engage with people whose opinions you do not share.
Surveys repeatedly show that the majority nationwide believe that East and West have grown together less or not at all since 1990. One cause for concern is that the income differences between East and West Germany remain large, even more than 33 years after reunification.