“Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.” in Berlin
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The expropriation initiative probably has enough signatures for a referendum
Large private housing corporations in Berlin to socialize: For this, the initiative “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.” has collected 349,658 signatures – including, according to the regional election committee, probably enough valid ones for a referendum to take place.
In Berlin there is likely to be a referendum on the expropriation of large real estate companies. The citizens’ initiative “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen Co.” should have achieved the necessary quorum with the signatures that have been checked so far, said state election officer Petra Michaelis on Friday.
The initiative submitted lists with a total of 349,658 signatures to the Senate Interior Administration on Friday afternoon. According to the regional election control, 261,000 signatures have been checked by the districts, 175,000 of which were valid. This is most likely enough to achieve the required quorum of seven percent of the electorate. The final count is expected at the beginning of July, according to state election officer Michaelis.
Referendum on September 26th
The referendum “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen und Co” is therefore most likely possible on September 26th. On this day, the Bundestag election, the House of Representatives election and the elections to the district councils will also take place in Berlin.
The successful referendum is the prerequisite for a referendum on the expropriation of large real estate groups. The aim of the “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen und Co” initiative is to socialize real estate companies with more than 3,000 apartments. Cooperatives are excluded from this association. The corporations would have to be compensated with billions in the event of expropriation. According to the BerlinTrend from April, almost half of Berliners are in favor of expropriating large private housing companies.
No agreement on red-red-green
“The success of the second collection phase shows that a lot of Berliners want affordable living space in common ownership,” said the initiative’s spokeswoman, Jenny Stupka. The initiative assumed early on that the signatures that were collected under difficult conditions during the pandemic would achieve the required amount for the referendum.
The initiative’s concern is controversial. There was always criticism from both the real estate industry and the opposition parties. There is also no agreement within the red-red-green coalition: The Berlin SPD rejects the project, the left, on the other hand, took an active part in collecting signatures. For the Greens, expropriations are conceivable as a last resort.
Clear criticism from the CDU and FDP
The opposition in the Berlin House of Representatives again criticized the goals of the initiative on Friday. They say “continue to say no to expropriations,” said the Berlin CDU leader Kai Wegner. “The expropriation fantasies of the day before yesterday do not fit into a restart in housing policy. They only create further frustration. Then there is a threat of a budget emergency with 36 billion euros in new debts for zero new apartments. Worse still: Berliners are threatened with rent and tax increases to finance horrific compensation payments “, Wegner continued.
With a new building offensive, his party will ensure that new affordable apartments are created, and the CDU wants to “enforce strong social guard rails so that tenants can no longer be modernized.”
FDP parliamentary group leader Sebastian Czaja also warned of the economic consequences of expropriations: Thousands of jobs are in danger, the “central public welfare of our city” can no longer be paid for. “All democratic parties are now urged to take a clear position on this attack on our fundamental rights. It is precisely the unclear position of the Greens, who are not prepared to allow tactical elections to safeguard our fundamental rights, causing damage to the social climate in our city “, says Czaja.
Broadcast: rbb 88.8, 25.06.2021, 9:50 a.m.