History of Germany (1945–90) German exodus was continuing apace; more than 117,000 left in January and February 1990. In early February 1990, the Modrow government's proposal for a unified, neutral German state was rejected by Chancellor Kohl, who affirmed that a unified Germany must be a member of NATO. Finally, on 18 March, the first free elections were held in East Germany, and a government led by Lothar de Maizière (CDU) was formed under a policy of expeditious unification with West Germany. The freely elected representatives of the "Volkskammer" held their first session on 5 April, and East Germany peacefully evolved from a communist
History of Germany since 1990 also stressed environmental issues and promoted the reduction of greenhouse gas. Germany took part in the NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999, when German forces saw combat for the first time since World War II. Chancellor Schröder supported the war on terror following the September 11 attacks against the United States, and Germany sent forces to Afghanistan. Germany also sent forces to Kosovo and other parts of the world. In 1999, Germany partially adopted the Euro, which completely replaced the Deutsche Mark as the currency of Germany in 2002. Several German cities, notably Dresden and Magdeburg, experienced severe flooding during