Saarbrücken (dpa -Afx) – Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks on Friday at the central celebration on the Day of German Unity in Saarbrücken. 35 years after the association in 1990, the CDU politician does not want to look back as much in his own words, but rather cut the topics urgent for him to solve the problems in the country.
The ceremony (from 12.15 p.m.) is organized by Saarland and its Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD), who is currently Federal Council President. The French President Emmanuel Macron will also give a speech as a guest of honor.
After more than 40 years of division on October 3, 1990, the two German states had united, around a year after the peaceful revolution in the GDR and the opening of the borders. The living conditions have been in a great way since then, but for example, wages, wealth and productivity in the east are still lower than in the West. Surveys show that many people see the separation rather than the similarities between the two halves at the moment.
In the evening (6.30 p.m.), Merz is also expected for a special musical event in Halle an der Saale: At candlelight, the campaign “Germany sings & sounds”, which takes place in more than 200 locations nationwide, is reminiscent of peace prayers and the peaceful revolution of 1989./VSR/DP/ZB