A Retrospective View on the German Reunification and the Prospect of Further Integration in the European Union

Markus Meckel is President of the German War Graves Commission and Former Foreign Minister of the German Democratic Republic. Mr. Meckel is also chairman of the Council of the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship (a body he initiated), co-chairman of the Council of the Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation and member of the Advisory Board of European Network Remembrance and Solidarity. Since the 1970s he has been involved in the opposition in the German Democratic Republic and co-founded in 1989 the Social Democratic Party in the GDR. In April 1990 he became the first democratically elected Foreign Minister of the GDR. As a member of the German Bundestag (1990-2009) he focused on European politics, security issues and Eastern Partnership. He was Vice-Spokesman of the Social Democrats for foreign policy and Spokesman in two commissions dealing with the SED dictatorship and its consequences. In October 2013 he was nominated President of the German War Graves Commission, which enshrines the remembrance of the war dead by conserving the cemeteries and organizing international workcamps for young people. “Reconciliation above the graves” is the motto of these activities.

 Download Podcast

Duration: 47:07

 Download Podcast

Duration: 47:07