The subject of urban development, building and renting is an even bigger challenge than expected for the SPD, the Greens and the Left in Berlin. The parties still need time for their negotiations, as the negotiators of the three parties announced on Saturday evening after ten hours of talks. After the round continued in the evening, the complex should continue to deliberate on Monday and then be closed, said SPD chairwoman Franziska Giffey.
According to their statements, the three parties are sticking to their goal, which has already been anchored in an exploratory paper, of building 200,000 apartments by 2030 – that is, 20,000 per year. The question of how this can be achieved, however, still needs to be discussed. “It’s not just about where we build, but how we build and for whom we build,” said Green Party leader Bettina Jarasch.
SPD state chairman Franziska Giffey said it was important to her that in the end the goal was actually implemented and that Berliners were told “how we want to do it”. There are many points to consider here, such as social and ecological issues or the transport links to new urban districts. Left chairwoman Katina Schubert said they had agreed to start building massive new buildings and strengthen the lower price segment. In other words: more social housing should be built.
The issue of expropriation from large housing groups has not yet been clarified
In the past few weeks, 16 specialist working groups had made suggestions on various areas that should be clarified for the coalition agreement. The areas of energy, climate protection, environmental protection and nature conservation, as well as mobility – and urban development, construction, rents – had proven to be particularly difficult topics.
The topic of the referendum on the expropriation of large housing groups has not yet been finally clarified. It was not until Thursday that some delegates from the Berlin Left requested a special party conference at which the results of the coalition negotiations are to be discussed before a membership decision on a coalition agreement takes place. The coalition partners had decided that a commission with experts should make recommendations on this within a year. That is not enough for some in the party.
In the House of Representatives election on September 26, the SPD had become the strongest force, while the Greens took second place – it was clear that both wanted to govern together. At first, Giffey did not rule out bringing the FDP into a coalition as a third party. The Greens had objected to this.