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Speech by the Federal Chancellor to mark the Day of German Unity “Our unity in freedom remains our shared foundation”

Setting sail together – Germany celebrated the 2024 Day of German Unity in Schwerin. The day included a public festival, an ecumenical service and a ceremony addressed by Federal Chancellor Scholz. “We’ve achieved so much together – an incredible amount.”

Thursday, 3 October 2024
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the ceremony to mark the Day of German Unity.

Federal Chancellor Scholz speaks in the Mecklenburg State Theatre: “Our internal diversity is not a deficiency: it is a unique strength of our country.”

Photo: Federal Government/Guido Bergmann

On the Day of German Unity, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz recalled the events of that autumn 35 years ago, and the brave citizens of East Germany whose Peaceful Revolution brought the communist dictatorship to its knees. “We are celebrating our great joy that the division of Germany was at last brought to an end on 3 October 1990,” said the Federal Chancellor, speaking at a ceremony to mark the Day of German Unity in Schwerin.

The key facts:

  • Federal Chancellor Scholz used his speech to talk about the success story of German unity. Mass unemployment in East Germany had been consigned to history and there was now strong economic growth, he said. The dividing line between East/West was almost meaningless to young people nowadays, he added.
  • “The history of German unity has not come to an end. We must add new chapters to it,” said the Federal Chancellor. Wherever politics can create better life chances and equal living conditions, Scholz said, this must become reality. “And that’s exactly what we’re working on together, on all levels,” he added.  

The 2024 Day of German Unity is being celebrated in Schwerin, the state capital of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Under the motto “Setting sail together”, the celebrations include a public festival where the Federal Government is represented across information stands, discussions, townhall meetings and an entertainment programme.

A transcript of the speech find you here (only in German).