Western Premiers Demand Examining Eastern Subsidies

The state premiers of North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, Peer Steinbrück und Edmund Stoiber, have called for re-examining subsidies for eastern Germany. Both stressed that the tax surcharge for rebuilding eastern Germany was not the issue. Steinbrück said state funds should be focused on neediness rather than the geographical direction. Stoiber said that subsidies for people in the country's east must be applied more effectively.