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German politician Wilfried Scharnagl is calling for independence for the state in the interview given to Russian TV Station RT.

Wilfried Scharnagl – Photo from: www.sueddeutsche.de

In terms of population and economy, the German State of Bavaria is bigger than many European countries. It has over 12 million people and an annual GDP of over €440 billion.

“Bavaria is a ‘free state’ by virtue of its history, economic power, population size and constitutional set-up. Ever since the Federal Republic of Germany was established in 1949, Bavaria has lost considerable independence and authority as the European Union was assuming more and more powers,” the author of the book “Bavaria Can Go It Alone” Wilfried Scharnagl told RT.

“With its population of 12.5 million, Bavaria is Germany’s second most populated state after North Rhine-Westphalia. It also has the strongest economy, and boasts outstanding progress in science and technology. So why can’t a state like that take charge of its own future? If we look at the European Union, 20 out of its 27 member states are smaller than Bavaria in terms of population, economic power and efficiency. Why can’t we have more control of our political and economic standing in Europe?” he said.

On a question how do he see Bavaria is going to achieve independence, Wilfried Scharnagl said “There is a brilliant democratic solution for that: the people should decide. Certainly, I would never agree to an independent Bavaria that would not be conscious about its responsibilities as part of Germany, and as part of Europe. But Bavaria should have more say as regards its political and economic status. This is all the more important since Brussels, as well as Berlin, have been continuously taking on new powers in the past decades. A case in point as far as finance is concerned is the German inheritance tax, which is levied in all of the states by the federal government. Even on fiscal matters, it isn’t the states who get to make decisions, but the federal policy makers in Berlin. This cannot last forever.”