East German business leaders positive about region's green energy potential – survey

More than half of business leaders in eastern Germany rate the region's economic potential as "high" or "very high", with renewable energy seen as the brightest future growth sector, shows the Transformation Barometer survey.

At the same time, around 23 percent of 1,500 respondents viewed economic potential in the eastern states as low. Some 40 percent of respondents did not expect any sector to experience strong growth, according to the survey carried out annually by the Eastern German Economic Forum (OWF) since 2022. The OWF will hold its annual conference on 18-20 May.

OWF called the "mood worse than the actual situation", reflecting a trend ongoing since last year. Nearly half of respondents said that they viewed the general economic situation in eastern Germany negatively, but most companies said they were happy with their 2024 economic development.  

Business leaders cited high energy prices as their second biggest challenge behind a lack of skilled workers. Some 54 percent of those surveyed want the new German government to enact measures to reduce energy prices. But a majority were also sceptical that the fledgling CDU-led government will be able to stimulate the country's economy. The scepticism was highest and overall economic satisfaction lowest in Thuringia, where the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) won big 2024 state elections. 

East and West Germany reunited more than 30 years ago but the economic and political divide is still present, including in views toward climate and energy policy. Voters in the East tend to vote for parties like the AfD that reject current policies. At the same time, policymakers say the East stands to benefit disproportionately from them.