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Eastern Representative Schneider: Reservations against new settlements
Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa
With a view to resistance to large factories like Tesla in Brandenburg, Eastern Commissioner Carsten Schneider advises companies to advertise themselves to local people.
From Schneider's point of view, industrial settlements in East Germany are no longer a sure-fire success.
"I'm noticing a change in East Germany," the SPD politician told the German Press Agency.
»In the past, practically every major project was welcomed as long as it brought jobs.
Now there is occasional resistance.
You have to take that into account when planning in the future.«
Expansion plans by the US electric car manufacturer Tesla were rejected by a majority in a referendum in the affected community of Grünheide a few days ago.
On Thursday, around 80 environmental activists from the “Stop Tesla” initiative occupied a forest near the car factory.
Schneider said he was also aware of reservations about other projects, including a battery recycling factory in Thuringia.
“For companies that want to be attractive, it will be a crucial factor to take people along and explain their own projects well,” said Schneider.
This works, for example, at the US manufacturer Intel's planned chip factory in Magdeburg.
The entire region would benefit from such a project, said the Eastern Commissioner: “The people there will have very well-paid jobs.
Your sons and daughters won't have to move out of the area to find an attractive, well-paying job.
East Germany will be at the forefront internationally in microelectronics.
Workers will also come from outside.
And of course the communities will benefit from the tax revenue.
mik/dpa