Overview

• Central ceremony and a large Bürgerfest are underway in Saarbrücken with a flight and drone ban in place as authorities expect several hundred thousand visitors.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to deliver the main address with an emphasis on solutions and renewal, saying on X that Germany’s diversity makes it strong.
• French President Emmanuel Macron is participating as a guest speaker, reflecting the event’s emphasis on European cooperation.
• Recent polling shows persistent unease about cohesion, with 30% nationwide—and 43% in the East—seeing more that divides than unites, and many saying reunification issues remain unresolved.
• Data highlight ongoing disparities, including a 17.4% full-time wage gap and significantly lower household wealth in the East, even as voices like the Bundestag’s SED victims commissioner call the day one of gratitude.