New Federal Minister: How the Eastern Commissioner Carsten Schneider is making a career in the West

Now Carsten Schneider has finally made it. He's become a federal minister. A member of the SPD, an East German, one of two in the new federal government . In the last election, when he was first considered for a ministerial post, that would have been good news. Now, almost four years later, it's a personnel change as predictable and boring as many others in federal politics.

Schneider is an East German, yes, and not only that. As consolation for not getting the ministerial post, Olaf Scholz appointed him the Federal Government's Commissioner for Eastern Europe, the most important Easterner in the country, with a seat in the Chancellery. He would have had many opportunities: not just to listen, but to act. To go where the fires are burning, where discontent is particularly strong, and where the AfD's poll numbers continue to rise.

However, anyone observing the Thuringian politician's work and appearances could get the impression of witnessing a transformation. The longer Schneider served as Commissioner for Eastern Europe, the longer he stayed in the Chancellery, the more West German he became. A phenomenon that is not new. One's environment shapes a person. But rarely has this been observed as clearly as in Schneider's case.

Carsten Schneider: Childhood in the GDR “the easiest time of my life”

Initially, the Commissioner for Eastern Europe presented himself as someone who passionately wanted to represent the interests of his fellow citizens. In Der Spiegel magazine, he described his childhood and youth in the GDR as "the best and easiest time" of his life. He acknowledged that his parents' generation, after the drastic upheaval of the post-reunification period, was well prepared for uncertain times like today's – and that West Germans had a sense of superiority that "has never been as strong as it is today." He promised to bring more East Germans into leadership positions and strengthen the economy.

In his office, however, he sounded different and acted differently. When it came to the GDR, the Commissioner for Eastern Europe liked to bring up the writer Anne Rabe , who blames the school's upbringing under the GDR dictatorship for mass shootings, Nazis, and racism. On the East German holiday island of Rügen, Schneider pushed through the controversial LNG terminal on behalf of Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The result was that East German residents took to the barricades, and West German investors thanked him.

Carsten Schneider: Lost direct mandate to Bodo Ramelow

The Intel factory in Magdeburg, touted by Schneider as a "flagship project" and "a signal for all of East Germany," was put on hold. The report on German unity, which Schneider presented annually, documented the disadvantages faced by East Germans, but failed to change them. Frustration in the East grew. The AfD grew stronger, and the office of the Commissioner for Eastern Europe was increasingly questioned. By the CDU, but above all by his own people.

In the federal election in February 2025, Carsten Schneider lost the direct mandate in his Thuringian constituency to Bodo Ramelow, the left-wing trade unionist and former Minister-President of Thuringia. A man who comes from the West. Who – unlike Schneider – stands by his convictions and is genuinely committed to the concerns of East Germans. Who is a Commissioner for Eastern European Affairs without having to be appointed.

Carsten Schneider: Patiently waited for the ministerial post

A failure for Schneider. Another one. And what did he do? He didn't take any action, didn't resign, but persevered. And yet he made it into the federal government. Three years late. Commentators write: It was Schneider's turn. He worked his way up. But one could also say: Once his transformation into a West German was complete, he got the job he had patiently waited for as Commissioner for the Eastern European Region.

Initially, the SPD politician was considered as the new head of the Ministry of Construction or the Ministry of Finance. However, he ultimately only secured the position of the Ministry of the Environment: the department that is likely to be about as popular in the East as the new minister.

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