Walter Romberg

Walter Romberg (* December 27, 1928 in Schwerin ) is a German politician ( SPD). He came in 1990 and Minister of Finance of the GDR in the cabinet of Lothar de Maizière.

Life

After graduation Romberg completed in 1947 to study physics and mathematics at the University of Rostock and the Humboldt University of Berlin, which in 1954 rer a diploma in mathematics and science doctorate. nat. finished. He then worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Pure Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. From 1965 to 1978 he was editor in chief of here Zentralblatt für Mathematik and then headed until 1990, the Research Department, edition and library.

Since 1960, Romberg was active in church work and laymen worked since 1976 in the department of peace issues Theological Studies Department at the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR in the fields of peace studies, security policy and disarmament. He was also a member of the Christian Peace Conference ( CFRP).

In October 1989, Romberg joined the Social Democratic Party of the GDR in 1990 merged with the Social Democratic Party, and became a member of its Policy Commission.

On 5 February 1990, he was appointed as minister without portfolio in the run of Prime Minister Hans Modrow government of the GDR. After the parliamentary elections on March 18, he was appointed Minister of Finance in the led by Lothar de Maizière East German government on 12 April 1990. He was one of five ministers who made ​​their oath of office without reference to God. As finance minister, he also belonged to the Prime Minister's Office. In his capacity as Minister of Finance, he was head of the East German delegation at the negotiations with the federal government on Monetary, Economic and Social Union. On May 18, signed in 1990 Romberg and Finance Minister Theodor Waigel the corresponding treaty between the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany.

During the German - German negotiations on reunification in the summer of 1990, Romberg represented on the recommendation of west German advisors the view that the new federal states not participating in the financial equalization with the former West Germany and the tax revenue generated in the new states should remain there. Since the opinion of Prime Minister de Maizière with a significant tax revenue was not expected, he dismissed Romberg on August 15, 1990, after it did not want to move away from its position. This was the reason for the emergence of the SPD from the coalition government on 19 August 1990.

From 1990 to 1994 he was a member of the European Parliament. After the withdrawal from active politics in 1994, he worked as a consultant to the Society for Technical Cooperation in a project in Kazakhstan.

Walter Romberg is a member of the Evangelical Research Academy.