Both Greifswald and Rheinsberg were built according to German standards. East Germany even produced the reactor pressure vessels themselves.

Also, the blocks 5-8 in Greifswald were modern VVER-440/213 which are far more reliable and safe than for example the SWR-69 reactor types used in Neckerwestheim I, Kruemmel and Isar 1 which were all in operation until 2011.