The creation of a department for conversion within the Brandenburg State Ministry for Economics reflects the importance of this topic in the State of Brandenburg. The department coordinates conversion related matters within Brandenburg, controls EU structural funds dedicated to conversion and releases "guidelines for conversion" concerning the eligibility of measures within this fund. Together with FOKUS, the "Forum Conversion and Urban Development" it initiated and organised the yearly series of events Conversion Summer Brandenburg since 1998, which has become an important event in conversion policy far exceeding Brandenburg State Borders.
In 1990 230.000 ha were used for military purposes. This makes about 7,7% of the total state area. Only a part is still used by the Bundeswehr.
160.000 ha were to be redeveloped into civil used real estates. This included nearly all type of military bases, except naval bases.
For instance, huge training areas as in Lieberoser Heide, airfields as near Jüterbog or the former headquarter of the Western Group of the Troops (WGT) in Wünsdorf belonged to this heritage.
100.000 ha have been returned to the State of Brandenburg. Most of it have been developed and sold by a state-owned enterprise, the Brandenburgische Boden Gesellschaft mbH after the revolving-fund-principle:
Profits from selling real estates were used to develop other real estates. As a result of the successful conversion-process, Waldstadt-Wünsdorf,
the "Bornstedter Feld" a historical training ground and barrack field just in Potsdam, the airport Cottbus-Drewitz or the "Döberitzer Heide", a training field north of Potsdam and many others have been developed for housing, industry or tourism.
For the future, some of the main tasks that remain are:
- marketing of the remaining real estates,
- securing jobs by strengthening the conversion-industries,
- opening of conversion-markets in Central- / Eastern Europe.
The central motivation to participate in a conversion network in the Baltic Sea Region is the conviction, that conversion has to be tackled by strong institutions, acting european wide. Brandenburg hopes, to profit from other partners experience but can contribute a lot of experience to CONVERNET as well.
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