| Germany is clearing itself of the consequences of military confrontation Over the course of half a century on German soil, a group of Russian troops has created a solid infrastructure. Russian military historian Mikhail Boltunov in the mid-90s summed up the “creative side” of the West Group’s stay in Germany. According to his calculations, 777 military camps were developed (where 20 thousand apartments were built for military personnel and members of their families), 5,269 military camps, 3,422 training centers and 47 airfields. It is not difficult to imagine how much ammunition or fuel and lubricants this monster required in order to maintain the highest degree of combat capability for decades. Over the four years that the process of withdrawing the Western Group of Forces lasted, 677 thousand tons of shells and ammunition were exported from Germany to Russia.
No one can accurately calculate how much “excess” fuel was simply dumped into German soil by Russian soldiers. For example, in the commune of Fürstenwalde, 60 km southeast of Berlin, work is still underway to eradicate the “shameful stain” remaining from the Western Geographical Zone: 650 fuel storage facilities are being dismantled on an area of 32 hectares. After completing this procedure, the land plot will be, in the language of specialists, “renatured”.
Since the beginning of the withdrawal of Russian troops, the government of the federal state of Brandenburg, which has always been considered the most intensively used region for military purposes, has created the Service of the Commissioner for Conversion Issues. It is now headed by former member of the Bundestag from the Green Party, Roland VOGT. He kindly agreed to answer questions from Berlin correspondent of Vremya Novostei Yuri Shpakov.
— Mr. Vogt, when in the early 90s you, a “Westerner” from Rhineland-Palatinate, took up the task of healing the wounds inflicted on nature by the military units of the West Germany, did you imagine the scale of the activity that awaited you?
- Quite. I'll say more. Since nothing similar or comparable had happened either in Germany or anywhere else in Europe, we felt like pioneers. Therefore, we built our work taking into account the future. We understood that this would not be an easy task. According to official figures, over 40% of the land used by the military for its needs is not involved in the peaceful economy of the German east. Now 16 cities and rural communities, especially those suffering from the consequences of military presence, have even created the Focus association, through which they exchange experience in solving the “problem of the century,” which we consider conversion.
Our service does not deal with highly specialized issues related to the stay and subsequent withdrawal of the BG. Conversion activities also include “remnants” of the activities of the former German National People’s Army of the GDR and state security units.
-- The success factor in your business is attracting investment, public or private. How actively has private business seized on the vacated land plots?
-- The procedure for “demobilizing” real estate turned out to be complex and confusing. The European Commission provided significant financial support by adopting a targeted program. The federal government allocated 1.5 billion euros from public funds for the conversion needs, and the same amount was the influx of private capital.
- But it’s not much! For several years, Berlin alone received 5 billion marks a year from the state budget to restore post-socialist devastation.
- In principle, you are right. At first, the former land plots of the Western Geographical Area were transferred to federal ownership. A small part of them was immediately restituted - transferred to their pre-war owners. The rest of the Kohl government was offered as a “gift” to five new federal states in the territory of the former GDR. Then they joked that the chancellor, nicknamed Pear, decided to reward them with poisoned apples. Some lands refused this gift. We in Brandenburg agreed and are confident that we did the right thing. And the owner’s approach was as follows. When we shouldered the Bonn gift, we analyzed what it was. It turned out that some of the land plots had a high market value and it was not so difficult to find a buyer for them. With the proceeds from the sale of these, as we said, “loin pieces”, we created funds - i.e. As more valuable land plots were sold, this money was invested in less interesting real estate, which was brought to “saleable condition” and sold.
— Conversion, this new branch of the German economy, as you said, looks confidently into the future. But is your position crisis-proof?
- Our competence includes all real estate, without exception, where any type of weapon was used in one form or another, regardless of who it previously belonged to. Today there is plenty of work to systematically transfer the former property of the Western Group of Forces to “peaceful footings.” Some things have been accomplished, much remains to be done, and some issues are the subject of fierce debate. Recently, President Bush announced his intention to withdraw American and allied troops from Germany and other European countries. And this is also not a matter of one year.
- Americans or British have great, as we say, “ecological consciousness.” Therefore, apparently, there will not be so many “poisoned apples”?
- The allies may be fully endowed with this consciousness at home, in America or England. But for some reason they feel freer in Germany. So we will undoubtedly find where to apply the knowledge and experience of conversion accumulated in the east of Germany. Do not forget that the leadership of the Bundeswehr announced that in the coming years it will liquidate 70 military garrisons. So we are on the verge of a new conversion boom. Interviewed by Yuri Shpakov |
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