Non-profit projects in Saxony-Anhalt benefit from the uncovered assets of the former GDR parties and mass organizations. Where has the money gone so far?
Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - Museums, daycare centers, sports clubs: Since 2008, the state of Saxony-Anhalt has supported numerous institutions with funds that come from the assets of the former parties and mass organizations of the GDR. As the Ministry of Finance informed the German Press Agency on request, the country received a total of around 104.4 million euros from the so-called SED assets during this period.
The use of the funds is regulated by an agreement between the Federal Agency for Unification-Related Special Tasks and the East German states. The money should go to charitable, but also economic, social and cultural purposes. According to the Ministry of Finance, it should be spread as widely as possible. Funds must be spent by 2025.
Most recently, the state received an allocation of around 26.8 million euros last year. Of this, around 16 million euros are to be spent on expanding broadband coverage in rural areas. Cultural institutions could also benefit. For example, refurbishment measures in the Salzland Museum in Schönebeck, on the arcaded houses in Dessau-Törten, on the cathedral square in Naumburg, on the Havelberg Cathedral and on the Hamersleben collegiate church are to be supported. A total of around 5.4 million euros are available for this.
In recent years, many cultural institutions have already received funding, for example the Bernburg Castle Museum or the North Harz City Theater. The permanent exhibition in the Heineanum in Halberstadt has also been modernised.
Municipalities have also benefited. According to the information, investments in some day-care centers were supported. The construction of sports fields could also be financed with the funds. One of the largest sums flowed into the construction of a chemical-biological process center in Leuna in 2009 (17.8 million euros).
Whether Saxony-Anhalt will continue to be allocated funds from the assets of the former GDR parties and mass organizations in the next few years is an open question. No further inflows are currently to be expected, said the House of Finance Minister Michael Richter (CDU).
However, the Federal Agency for Unification-Related Special Tasks has made provisions of 80 million euros "because of latent risks", for example possible legal proceedings. "Should the risks no longer exist, these provisions will be dissolved and paid out to the federal states." There is no specific schedule for this yet.
