German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) and Saxony's Minister for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion Petra Koepping, who is the social democratic SPD party's top candidate for regional elections in Saxony, visit the Mining Technology Park and the recultivation of lignite mining in Grosspoesna near Leipzig, eastern Germany, August 30, 2024. Scholz visited the site ahead of regional elections to take place on September 1, 2024 in two eastern federal states, Saxony and Thuringia. (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER / AFP) (Photo by JENS SCHLUETER/AFP via Getty Images)