German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says more people from the former East Germany should have senior posts in the nation’s company boardrooms.

The proportion of those in such jobs “can be systematically increased everywhere, provided there is good will,” Scholz said as the country celebrates German Unity Day, with the main ceremony staged in the northern city of Schwerin.

Scholz said he hoped the government would set a good example in terms of the administration. “Other institutions, organizations or industries can and should also take responsibility here – if only out of well-understood self-interest,” he warned.