Berlin-Left party leader Wolf : No slums and no glass palaces for the Rich

Mr Wolf, you'll be in the property?

Yes, I live in the property.

your party supports the Initiative "Deutsche Wohnen & Co expropriate". Have you ever been talking with Deutsche Wohnen?

I have spoken to in the past times with representatives of the group. In the recent time.

The people's initiative, relying on article 15 of the basic law, according to which the land can be transferred by socialization in the common good. You want to expropriate the Deutsche Wohnen and compensate. The promise is a pure choice?

We are breaking new ground, because it has, so far, no one tried. The Constitution provides for in article 14 of the Instrument of expropriation and article 15 socialisation with compensation. We need to examine this Instrument carefully. We have such a tight housing and rental market in Berlin, that we must consider all instruments that may be suitable to regulate the Rent and housing market within the meaning of the tenant.

The governing mayor Michael Müller said expropriation was his way and his policy. The Greens are indifferent. The economy, the Senator said the need to build affordable housing and stocks to buy. And the Left wants to expropriate. How do you want to come to a common denominator?

Even the Left says that homes have to be built and Rent regulated. But socialization should not be a taboo subject. This is a far-reaching intervention in the ownership and, for us, an ultima ratio. If business enterprises do problematic things, or even to be a Problem for the common good, you can also socialize. We need to discuss what are the possibilities for the Constitution, are compliant and safe.

How do you plan to raise the funds for the compensation? On the Initiative of 7.3 billion to 13.7 billion euros. The financial management is the market value. Bausenatorin Lompscher expects. Of what value you expect?

We speak of socialization, you do not need to set based on the market value. The legislature can make a determination. What regulation could have in front of constitutional courts on the stock, we need to discuss.

red-Red-Green is the adaptation of the salaries to be shed at the Federal level, the continuation of the school offensive and more debt. Then the guilt reaches a brake starting 2020. Financial Senator Kollatz warns of further expenditure. Where do you still see financial room for manoeuvre?

At the re-municipalisation of energy networks or apartments, the country acquires Yes property comes permanently to the public Good. For such things, we just put the money from the current Surplus. Through Equity contributions to the state-owned enterprises, such as the construction of offensive, not be able to absorb this cost loans that fall under the debt brake. With similar models of funding the compensation to the Socialize of larger housing stock over a longer period of time could be refinanced facilities.

Without a new building it is not. The Left but to the top of a new initiative. On the contrary, It always goes to the tenant and the tenant's protection. The Left makes patronage politics, or?

We are making policy for the tenant in the city. The overwhelming majority of the urban society. If it is kept as a clientele policy, we consider that as a compliment. But there is a misunderstanding, if you Rent and construction policies against each other plays.

anyone Who believes that the construction of more apartments would have a direct impact on the development of rental rates, you're sorely mistaken. The rental price lowering would have a new building when so many apartments were built that we would have to permanently stand the big empty. But then, the real estate industry would collapse. And nobody wants to do that. What we need more affordable housing need. Expensive new apartments are driving prices up. The subsidised flats flat to the rental price increase in the long run.

Why is Bausenatorin Lompscher not at the forefront of the new movement? Red-red-Green the objective is to select, to create 30.000 new construction of apartment companies by 2021.

We can only build with the construction companies and the Planning capabilities we have. The goal of the 30,000 apartments was very ambitious. Nevertheless, the number of newly constructed municipal dwellings is increasing rapidly. However, we need to buy more land for the country to develop this, and also the cooperatives-even more than before.

Housing, transport, social services of General interest, and the town green are in competition to existing surfaces. All of this takes place, but the city must remain livable and can only be moderately compressed. We must consider how we can build more creative by increasing, and the like.

According to a study, could be caused by the Increase of houses around 180,000 dwellings. Especially GDR-plate a potential of 50,000 additional dwellings would be built. This has been recognised by the Senate as early as 2016. But not much is happening yet. Instead, Katrin held Lompscher supermarket summit without any significant success.

If you want to open up creative possibilities, must be properly examined. At the beginning of the 2000s, the former Senator Peter Strieder, had initiated the Dismantling of the plate with the reference to the fact that a lot of the living room is empty. The reconstruction takes longer. We must not commit by a reactive Action of the errors are repair hard again.

What do you think of rent cover, which freezes the Rents in regions with high Rents?

This is a very nice idea, it just needs to go right for sure. We are Left therefore propose that a panel of experts with lawyers from the coalition to the to be weighed carefully. If we have the Chance to cover Rent, to introduce at the country level, the Constitution has legal validity, we are immediately.

An Instrument of the right of first refusal. In Berlin, between 2015 and 2018, was applied to the district the right of first refusal 32 Times, approximately 700 flats were transferred in the property of the state-owned housing companies. Want to suggest only that the country actively engages in the market?

Each apartment, we get in the municipal inventory, it is a good apartment, because the policy can influence what happens with the apartment. This is not a Placebo. But the Instrument must be used as part of a targeted acquisition strategy. Targeted acquisitions can stabilize whole neighborhoods, such as the Cosmos area.

The 1800 dwellings that have been purchased by the city and the country for 250 million euros. All apartments in the East. Your Clientele.

voters are in Berlin, everywhere, and we have just bought in Kreuzberg and schöneberg. The question is whether or not the stabilized the social mix of the city. In the Cosmos neighborhood, we want to prevent people with little money can afford the apartments there. We have hardly any instruments to combat land speculation. And therefore, sometimes, such prices must be paid.

for homes there on the edges of the small gardens. 200,000 apartments, each with an area of 46 square meters, could arise. What do you think of this idea from the build chamber?

We can also configure the Tiergarten. The proposal is a dubious contribution to the debate about urban development policy. We need urban green spaces and small gardens. You develop is part of the coalition agreement.

view property development for private people problematic?

There are also, of course, a fair private landlords. Property committed to; so it is in the basic law, it is important to me that this is being taken seriously. I want to ensure the social mix of the city. I want to be in Berlin no slums and no glass palaces for the Rich in the city center. The question is, whether we indulge the Belief that the market laws can guarantee social peace. Or whether the state needs to regulate. And we believe in the Latter.

Udo Wolf, 56, is for ten years, Chairman of the Left. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and studied in the 80s at the FU. Since 2001 he is a member of the house of representatives. Udo Wolf is the younger brother of Ex-Senator for Economics Harald Wolf.

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