Thomas de Maizière criticizes German reunification terminology

Former German Federal Minister of the Interior and Defense, Thomas de Maizière, has criticized key terms used during the German reunification process. Speaking at a ceremony for German Unity Day in the Saxon State Parliament, de Maizière argued that certain concepts used by policymakers were misleading.

He specifically targeted the term ‘inner unity’ (innere Einheit), suggesting that the country should abandon it as a formal goal. He distinguished this from ‘unity’ (Einigkeit), noting that while consensus on the Basic Law, human dignity, and democratic values is essential, it is fundamentally different from the concept of inner unity.

Additionally, de Maizière identified the term ‘alignment of living conditions’ (Angleichung der Lebensverhältnisse) as a mistake. He stated that while this was the official political objective and likely the desire of the population in the former East German states, the intended goal should have been ‘equivalence of living conditions’ (Gleichwertigkeit der Lebensverhältnisse).