These are the first reactions

The contract of the future grand coalition was presented on Monday. The first reactions are already there.

Franziska Giffey and Kai Wegner present the coalition agreement.Monika Skolimowska/dpa

The opposition in the Berlin House of Representatives reacted largely with disappointment to the coalition agreement presented on Monday. Left-wing politician Katalin Gennburg quotes from the contract and tweets: “Worth knowing from the #building & #urbandevelopment chapter. Conclusion: state properties are opened for privatization, acceleration first & regulations second – ergo: Disempowerment of the approval authorities. That’s #bauenbauenbauen – #city politics for capital!”

The capital’s FDP accuses the Christian Democrats of having made too many concessions to the SPD in the coalition agreement. “Without much discussion – since the office of governing mayor is finally waving – our own positions were sold cheaply,” criticized Berlin’s FDP state chairman Christoph Meyer on Monday after the presentation of the coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD, who want to form a new state government. “The temptation of company cars and senator posts must have been too great.” Key questions remained unanswered, according to Meyer. “About a solution how the Berlin housing problem can finally be tackled.”

FDP: CDU and SPD self-administer KO drops

The CDU apparently threw their positions from the election campaign on issues such as expropriation of large housing companies, remunicipalisation of district heating or the buyback of apartments into the ballot box. Even an urgently needed radical administrative reform withers away to a reform under the CDU and SPD.

The coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD reads like a “keep it up” from Red-Green-Red – only with CDU participation. “After six years of organized RGR chaos, the alliance of CDU and SPD is giving itself a knock-out with this coalition agreement,” criticized Meyer. Whitewashing content differences with money in the multi-billion dollar climate protection special fund is easy. “However, it is irresponsible to do this without any counter-financing efforts just via more debt.”

Tenants’ association “New Ways for Berlin” praises the coalition agreement

Some praise for the coalition agreement comes from the tenants’ association “New Ways for Berlin”. The club explained: “The agreement is a paper of opportunities. It offers an ambitious working basis for the remaining time in this legislative period. It is a good sign that both future partners in the Senate are putting a stronger focus on more commitment to new apartments.”

It goes on to say: “It is right and necessary that the future government partners should focus on the housing issue in the city and have agreed on the goal of building an average of up to 20,000 apartments per year. If a so-called “SchnellesBauen-Gesetz” achieves leaner structures, faster approvals and a streamlined building law in the city, then these are important steps in the right direction. It is also helpful that more areas such as the Elisabeth-Aue, Späthsfelde, Lichterfelde-Süd, etc. are used as new urban quarters for housing construction.”

Tenants’ association fears that a shadow budget will emerge

It is good that the future grand coalition in the Senate wants to put more emphasis on this. However, caution should be exercised when it comes to plans for state-owned companies to purchase additional apartments. Acquisitions of this kind are exclusively credit-financed and represent a kind of “shadow budget”.

In conclusion, the Neue Weg association said: “It is also important that all stakeholders are involved in solving the existing challenges when it comes to housing. Only a joint initiative and the interaction of the relevant partners can relieve the strained housing situation in Berlin. This is the only way to build apartments in all price ranges. A comprehensive expansion of the offer with new apartments creates the urgently needed relaxation in the overheated housing market in the city.