The move to more liberal shop-opening hours started in the eastern state of Saxony, in part because east German women spend more time at work.

ECONOMIST: But eastern and western Germany may never quite meet

In the mid-1990s, an early Ostalgie-retailer, mondosarts.com, fought plans to reshape him to comply with European Union standards, winning him a reprieve in east Berlin and the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

ECONOMIST: A wild repackaging of German history

Last week, for instance, the state of Saxony moved against Bwin, an Austrian betting firm with a grandfathered East German licence.

ECONOMIST: Gambling in Europe