Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Coalition talks in Berlin
Red-green-red agreed in the referendum
At the red-green-red coalition negotiations in Berlin there is a great need to talk, the talks drag on until late in the evening. Shortly after midnight the breakthrough: A compromise to deal with the referendum “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.” is in place.
The SPD, the Greens and the Left in Berlin have made important progress in their coalition negotiations. The three parties, who want to continue to govern together in the capital, reached an agreement on some particularly controversial issues on Monday after a marathon meeting.
Above all, this includes the question of how to deal with the successful referendum on the expropriation of large real estate companies in Berlin. As the three parties announced shortly after midnight, there is now agreement on the chapter “Urban development, building and housing”. For the referendum, it was agreed that a commission of experts should be set up – as already announced after the exploratory talks. It should examine the possibilities, ways and prerequisites for implementing the referendum. The initiative “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen & Co.”, which had pushed through the referendum, is to be involved in the composition of the expert commission.
The commission is supposed to draw up a recommendation on how to proceed to the Senate within one year, which will then make a decision. “In the first 100 days, the Senate decides on the convening, commissioning and filling of the expert commission on the basis of a draft resolution,” explained the SPD, Greens and Left.
First of all, according to the three parties, the commission should examine whether a socialization is in conformity with the constitution, as envisaged in the referendum. It is also about naming and evaluating possible legally secure ways of socialization. In a second step, housing, corporate law and financial policy aspects should also be taken into account. “On the basis of the recommendations of the expert commission, the responsible senate administrations may present the key points for a socialization law in 2023.” Then the Senate will make a final decision, it said. The SPD, the Greens and the Left want to present further details on the negotiation results on Tuesday morning.