Berlin SPD votes on rent policy : Michael Müller wants to prevent expropriations

The mayor and SPD-land-in-chief Michael Mueller is in trouble: He rejects the people's request for the expropriation of Deutsche Wohnen and of other large real estate companies. However, on the SPD land party Congress on 30. March is the sensitive issue on the agenda and in the circle of associations of the Berlin social Democrats, the inclination grows to accompany the expropriation of the initiative is "positive", how to listen to the party internally.

to avoid a voting defeat, addiction Müller to alternative strategies. So he wants to try to postpone a decision in the autumn. Until then, should take place, so it proposes the application Commission of the SPD Board of management, "an intra-party discussion process, with broad participation of our members".

should then be clarified, the conditions under which expropriations or communities and sheep sightings "come for us, to question, to ensure the goal of a sufficient supply of Housing in Berlin".

Miller wants to rent an Alliance between the Senate and the private housing sector

The government - and the SPD-land-in-chief has a different idea of the expropriation claim to get away. He wants to call a renting Alliance between the Senate of Berlin and the private housing sector – with the aim of a voluntary attenuation of the Rent.

Of the company is to hear that the Senate had to offer for such an Alliance a bit. For example, less lengthy participation process in construction projects or cheap building land for private investors. In addition, there is already the representative list of rents.

In addition, only Müller has high hopes in the proposal from its own ranks, with a "rental cover" the cost explosion in the housing market of the capital stem. With such an Instrument one could gain the air, to the rent market in Berlin was again relaxed, in a request for the SPD land party Congress at the end of March, the party internally, there is already a consensus.

6. April starts the lids in the collection of signatures for the popular initiative

will Build up Stresses in the application that the housing and rent policy of the social Democrats of Berlin from a triad exists: ", buy". Whether this is enough to move the expropriation of discussion in the SPD-landesverband on the autumn, but is entirely uncertain.

For party chief, Muller, the topic is a burden: "My hope is that it can drain," he said recently in a discussion with representatives of the real estate industry and lawyers. But the Initiative "Deutsche Wohnen & co. expropriate" starts at 6. April with the collection of signatures for the referendum. 20,000 signatures must be collected in this first stage.

A successful referendum would be a "fatal Signal in the economy," Müller

Müller, Too, has no doubt that the Initiative will take this first hurdle easily. Then, at least seven percent of Berlin's electorate (about 170.000 citizens) will vote for the expropriation proposal. In the case of success, it would lead to a referendum.

popular initiative against "Deutsche Wohnen & co." expropriations could see a 40-billion Euro cost

The mayor, if it comes to that, "a fatal Signal in the economy". Also, would be expropriated in this case may have Jewish owners in Germany for the second Time. Large parts of his party have a different view on things. "We expressly welcome the fact that the urban society initiatives, the fight against the capitalist housing market", in party tags the request of the young socialists, which could be a majority.