Overview

• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius signaled support for expanding defence-industry sites in eastern states and flagged an upcoming investment conference with industry and the Economic Affairs Ministry.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a brief stop in Thuringia for his first official visit to an eastern state as chancellor and pledged more frequent federal–state meetings beyond an annual summit.
• Eastern minister-presidents argued that taxpayers in the region should benefit from defence billions, highlighting that roughly 90% of sites remain in western Germany.
• Leaders pressed to channel funds beyond traditional armaments into dual‑use areas such as cyber defence, advanced optics and medical technology to grow production capacity.
• Officials framed the shift as the start of ongoing engagement, though concrete procurement decisions, timelines and allocations are still to come against a backdrop of factory closures and looming regional elections.