Greece and Germany: Ex-East residents resent paying for

Germany may be Europe’s most powerful economy. But its prosperity is so uneven that Poles just across the border see it differently: as a place where housing is a bargain.

Fueled by an economic boom in their own country, Poles have been spilling into the former East Germany, still one of the poorest parts of Germany two decades after reunification. In a region where jobs are scarce, the new arrivals have sparked a backlash among Germans who feel particularly vulnerable.

The uneasiness here helps to explain the unwillingness voiced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about proposals that would require her country to dip further into its treasury to help address the rest of Europe’s economic problems.

“Work for us is everything,” said Colette Hoche, 46, a teacher at a local school. “If someone looks for work for a long time, and they see a Polish person take a job, then you see how you could feel about it.”..

Source:  In former East Germany, anxious residents resent paying for Europe’s problems – The Washington Post.