Speeches

Introductory Statement by Saxon State Minister Dr. Johannes Beermann at the meeting with U.S. young professionals, July 5, 2010

Dear Mr. Gramckow,
dear guests of American governmental and consultant institutions,

welcome to the Free State of Saxony! Your visit is a great honour for our country.

Saxony did have many high-ranking visitors from the American continent the last months. Only 4 weeks ago I had some very interesting talks with a US-group of the Partnership of Parliaments.

My name is Johannes Beermann, I am Head of the State Chancellery, or, in American terminology, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. Here, we draft the political strategy and supervise its implementation by the other government departments.

Last year, Saxony was one of the German federal states that held elections to the state assembly. As a result, we have now a middle-right coalition government of CDU and FDP.

Four weeks later, the very same coalition succeeded in the general elections and now builds the new federal government in Berlin.

Saxony is one of 16 federal states in the Federal Republic of Germany. As part of the former GDR, it has belonged to the Federal Republic since German re-unification in 1990. This means that democracy has existed in this part of Germany for only the past 20 years – something that you, as Americans with your democratic traditions, will probably find difficult to comprehend.

What are the tasks and responsibilities of the 16 states? One very important responsibility is education policy, where the federal government has no influence whatsoever. The states also bear responsibility for the universities. Moreover – and this concerns me, as Chief of the State Chancellery – they are also responsible for radio broadcasting and media.

Peaceful Revolution

As I previously mentioned, Saxony has only been part of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1990. The year before that, in 1989, people here were putting their lives on the line, fighting for freedom. At that time, it was Saxony that was the centre of the protests, not the capital of the GDR, East Berlin. It was essentially here, that the Peaceful Revolution started. I am sure you have heard of Leipzig, the “Hero City”. It was there on the 9th of October 1989 that the decisive demonstrations were held. 70,000 people – an inconceivable number by GDR standards – holding nothing but candles, managed to bring the heavily armed authorities to their knees.

That was the breakthrough. Following that, millions of people in all areas of the GDR demonstrated for freedom, until the Berlin Wall fell on the 9th of November. The miracle that was the Peaceful Revolution – during which not one single shot was fired (!) – resulted in the re-unification of Germany on the 3rd of October 1990.

Let me just say a word of thanks at this point: Without the support of the American government and the American people, we would not be sitting here together today. From the outset, the USA backed the German people’s dream to be reunified in the community of Western values, after 40 years of separation. Thank you once again for this!

Transformation from a planned economy to a market economy

The Peaceful Revolution did not just involve fundamental political changes. The transition from a planned economy
to a market economy was an equally significant transformation. And its impact on the people was considerable. Enormous state holding companies with thousands of workers were no longer competitive, and often had to be phased out within a few weeks.

But the people here in Saxony have accomplished great achievements. They have coped with the structural change better than many other regions, and built the reputation which Saxony enjoys today as the boom state of eastern Germany. Now, once again, we have state-of-the-art workplaces which can bear comparison with the best in Eastern Europe and the Far East.

Here are just 2 examples: The automotive industry is once again based in Saxony. BMW and Porsche chose Leipzig because of the highly-qualified workers in Saxony. And now, 20 years after re-unification, the Volkswagen factory in Chemnitz and many medium-sized businesses from the automotive supplier industry are once again major players in Saxony, once considered the industrial heart of Germany.

And secondly, Saxony is a leader in solar technology. We have developed a unique network here in Europe. Based on California’s “Silicon Valley”, industry and research have merged to form the “Cool Silicon” cluster of excellence. This network has played an important role in how well we have coped with the global financial crisis.

Education

Ladies and gentlemen,
For the future of our state, which is not rich in raw materials, education is a crucial resource. That is why Saxony has always placed great emphasis on education. And reaped the success: Saxony ranks as #1 within Germany in the PISA Study!

How has this come about?

Saxony has always focused on high-quality education. Moreover, weaker students are not left behind, but are brought up to the general level of learning by helping them on an individual basis.

Universities and research

A university education follows school. 
Saxony has 5 state-run universities, 5 art colleges, 5 technical colleges and 7 vocational academies.

And at all these universities and colleges, education is free right up to the Masters level! This is something that may be of interest to American students. We in Saxony would love to welcome more students from your country here. Perhaps, when you return home, you can somehow promote the idea of studying here?

In addition to the universities and colleges, there are a large number of highly productive research facilities – including 7 Leibniz Institutes, 15 institutes of the Fraunhofer Society, 6 Max Planck Institutes and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. With all these facilities, as a relatively small state, Saxony has the highest concentration of research institutes in Germany.

Art and culture

To conclude my short outline of Saxony, I would like to talk about an area very dear to the Saxon people: art and culture.

In Saxony, we are fortunate to have an unparalleled cultural heritage. Firstly, I am referring to the Frauenkirche and the Dresden State Art Collections with its Grünes Gewölbe (»Green Vault«). Secondly, we are currently celebrating 300 years of Meissen porcelain.

Saxony also enjoys an excellent reputation in the field of music. With the Staatskapelle Dresden (the Saxon State Orchestra, Dresden) and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, we are home to two of the world’s top 10 orchestras. Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach directed the Thomanerchor (“the St Thomas Choir”) for 27 years, attracts thousands of music fans from all over the world to its annual Bach Festival. And the Dresden Semperoper (the opera house of the Saxon State Opera) is not only an architectural highlight, but also regularly delights discriminating opera lovers.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen,

That concludes my brief overview of Saxony, which of course could only include a small sampling. But we now have the chance to discuss some of these aspects in more detail.

Thank you!