동·서독간의 경제통합에는 두 가지의 큰 문제가 있었다. 하나는 사회주의 경제체제와 자본주의 경제체제를 통합하는 문제이고, 또 다른 하나는 구동·서독간의 경제력이 너무 차이가 크다는 것이었다. 경제통합의 주요 내용은 서독의 사회적 시장경제질서를 통일독일의 경제체제로 확정하고, 동독에 이를 실현하기 위한 제반여건을 조성하는 것이었다． 통일독일의 경제통합은 화폐교환으로부터 시작되었다. 당시 국제금융시장에서 일반적으로 인정되던 동독화폐와 서독화폐의 공식 환율은 ４:1이었는데, 화폐통합 당시의 교환비율은 1:1과 1:2였다. 화폐교환 후 과대평가 된 동독마르크로 인해 동독지역의 경제는 아주 나빠졌다. 또한 구동독 국유재산의 사유화문제도 큰 문제였다. 즉, 신탁관리청(Treuhandanstalt)에 의한 사유화도 문제였고, 동독수립 후와 소련군정시기에 몰수당했던 재산의 반환과 보상문제도 컸다. 그리고 동독지역 경기부양을 위한 사업들에도 상당히 많은 통일비용이 필요하였다. 독일연방정부와 주정부들은 통일비용을 마련하기 위해 여러 가지 방안을 강구하였다. 그 가운데 대표적인 것은 첫째, 독일통일기금(Der Fonds Deutsche Einheit), 둘째, 연대협약Solidaritätsbeitrag)에 의한 세금인상, 그리고 EU 등에서의 지원금 등이다. 이제 동독사람들의 임금과 연금수준은 통일되기 이전보다 월등히 나아졌다. 동독사람들이 받는 연금은 임금보다 더 서독수준에 육박하고 있다． 연방정부와 주정부들은 동독의 경제를 활성화하기 위해 철도, 도로, 통신망 등 사회간접자본에 상당히 많은 지원을 하였다. 특히 ‘VDE-Projekte’라는 대형 교통프로젝트로 철도, 고속도로, 그리고 수로를 건설하는 등 동독은 짧은 기간 동안 유럽에서 가장 성장이 빠른 지역이 되었다. 동·서독 국민총생산의 실질성장률도 신연방주들의 성장률이 높았었으나, 2006년부터는 구연방주들의 성장률도 신연방주들과 비슷해지기 시작하였다． 그러나 동독지역 경제를 서독지역 경제와 동일한 수준으로 발전시키기 위해서는 최소한 20년 이상 또는 한 세대가 지나야 한다는 견해가 있다. 통일이 된지 거의 20년이 가까워 오는 지금도 통일독일의 경제통합은 계속 진행 중이다．

During the reunification process in early 1990s, two Germanies faced two difficult tasks for economic integration. One is the question of how two ‘totally’ different economic regimes between socialist economy and capitalism could get unified. There is also a huge economic divide between the East and the West. The core of economic integration plan is that newly unified German government chooses socialist market economy in the West Germany as the basic economic system and provides East Germany basic infrastructure needed for economic development. Initially two Germanies exchanged their currency. However, the unpleasing result is highly overinflated Eastern German Marks, getting East Germany worse in terms of economy. Another important issue is the privatization on the national property in the former East Germany. The problem is that privatization was led by the Trust Management Department (Treuhandanstalt). There was little consensus about how to return and compensate long-seized property under the Soviet military regime and then East Germany government. It costs huge governmental budget in flourishing the market economy. Federal and state governments have initiated many projects to get economic integration of two Germanies onboard; German Reunification Fund, Emergency Contribution(Solidaritätsbeitrag), and by aid of EU. Social infrastructures such as railroad, highway, and telecommunications have been invested by federal and state governments in East Germany area. As a result, East Germany emerged one of the fastest growing regions given a short-time period. Despite the recent industrial advance in East Germany are, there is the dark side of economic integration process. Scholars believe that it would take more than two or three decades in fully recovering East Germany area at the same level West Germany area is at the current. Though twenty years have passed since the German Reunification, the economic integration of two Germanies is still in the process of advancing.

During the reunification process in early 1990s, two Germanies faced two difficult tasks for economic integration. One is the question of how two ‘totally’ different economic regimes between socialist economy and capitalism could get unified. There is also a huge economic divide between the East and the West. The core of economic integration plan is that newly unified German government chooses socialist market economy in the West Germany as the basic economic system and provides East Germany basic infrastructure needed for economic development. Initially two Germanies exchanged their currency. However, the unpleasing result is highly overinflated Eastern German Marks, getting East Germany worse in terms of economy. Another important issue is the privatization on the national property in the former East Germany. The problem is that privatization was led by the Trust Management Department (Treuhandanstalt). There was little consensus about how to return and compensate long-seized property under the Soviet military regime and then East Germany government. It costs huge governmental budget in flourishing the market economy. Federal and state governments have initiated many projects to get economic integration of two Germanies onboard; German Reunification Fund, Emergency Contribution(Solidaritätsbeitrag), and by aid of EU. Social infrastructures such as railroad, highway, and telecommunications have been invested by federal and state governments in East Germany area. As a result, East Germany emerged one of the fastest growing regions given a short-time period. Despite the recent industrial advance in East Germany are, there is the dark side of economic integration process. Scholars believe that it would take more than two or three decades in fully recovering East Germany area at the same level West Germany area is at the current. Though twenty years have passed since the German Reunification, the economic integration of two Germanies is still in the process of advancing.

The Unified Germany, Unification Cost, Economic Integration, German Unification Fund, Solidarity Agreement