NEWS FROM BERLIN

CDU and SPD agree on development at Tempelhofer Feld

In their coalition talks, the CDU and the SPD in Berlin have agreed to build on parts of Tempelhofer Feld. This is the result of the final agreement paper of the negotiating group for urban development and housing. The two parties want housing to be built by state-owned housing associations and public-interest cooperatives. The CDU mentions clearly the procedure of a “referendum”. However, the SPD is vague about it, considering that such decision should rest with the people of Berlin. This could mean that the future of Tempelhofer Feld is possibly linked to the result of the next parliamentary elections in 2026. Source: tagesspiegel

No chance against fossil powers and anti-democratic politics

Klimaneustart holds companies and politicians partly responsible for the failure of the referendum “Berlin 2030 climate neutral”. Although most of the voters, a total of 442,210, were in favor of the capital becoming climate-neutral as early as 2030, the needed amount of 608,000 votes was not reached. However, more astonishing is that a very large number of voters, a total of 423,418, ticked the ‘no’ box – instead of simply not attending. The need for a car as means of transport and the refusal to combine the referendum with the elections on February 12 are believed to be among the sources of these decisions. Source: nd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Life at the edge: how a single parent manages in Germany

Since Christina Sander became a mother, she has been at risk of poverty and prices are rising. She and her daughter live on Bafög, housing benefit, child benefit, and the citizen’s allowance she gets for Zoe. That gives her a total of just under 2,000 euros a month. The official poverty line in 2021 for a single parent with one child was 1,621 euros a month. This means Christina Sander and her daughter are about 300 euros away from being at risk of poverty – for now. Inflation and the energy crisis hit benefit recipients and families with low incomes particularly hard. Source: taz

“Migration is thought of in male terms”

The planned German law on skilled labor immigration does not take women’s needs sufficiently into account, says lawyer Sina Fontana. Although the regulation does not make any distinction between men and women, she highlights aspects such as childcare. The maximum age at which a potential migrant receives extra points according to the system, 35 years old, is exactly the one at which child-rearing usually takes place. Moreover, she notes that this is mainly done by women. This means women may have worse chances of getting the opportunity card. Source: taz

German Leopard tanks have arrived in Ukraine

The 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks promised by Germany to Ukraine have now arrived. According to a report in the magazine “Der Spiegel,” the transport had already begun last week. Now the tanks have been handed over to the Ukrainian armed forces at the border. 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles have also been delivered. The Federal government launched a new platform to strengthen Germany’s engagement in the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is intended to network non-state actors. “The reconstruction of Ukraine has already begun, even though unfortunately there is still no end to the war in sight,” said Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) when presenting this project. Source: dw

Biggest strike in decades: warning strike paralyses transport infrastructure in Germany

A hint of the extension of the strike waves in France or Great Britain arrived in Germany on Monday: buses and trains remained largely in depots for 24 hours, and planes on the ground. Frank Werneke, ver.di’s leader, considered this to be the largest strike in the Federal Republic since 1992. Around 335,000 workers followed the joint call of the service sector union ver.di and the railway and transport union (EVG) for a nationwide warning strike. On the same day, the third round of negotiations with ver.di for approximately 2.5 million federal civil servants and local authorities began in Potsdam. Source: jW

NEWS FROM BERLIN

“Berlin 2030 Climate Neutral”: what you need to know

On 26 March the referendum “Berlin 2030 Climate Neutral” will be held. If Berlin reaches the quorum, the state’s politicians will be obliged to do significantly more to reduce the capital’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to the initiators of the referendum, climate neutrality should be made possible by, among other things, expanding solar power capacities, improving the supply of green electricity via geothermal energy and biomass, and producing fewer emissions in transport. Voting for it is just the same as for regular elections. The day before the vote, the initiative Klimaneustart Berlin is calling for a large-scale demonstration. Source: tip-berlin.

35,000 expected for the climate referundum

About 35,000 people are expected to participate in a demonstration for the climate referendum at the Brandenburg Gate next Saturday. According to the alliance Klimaneustart Berlin, the group Element of Crime, the musician Annett Louisan and Arnim Teutoburg-Weiß and Thomas Götz from the Beatsteaks will perform. More than 30 professional orchestras from all over Germany have joined forces to play for climate and environmental protection at the demonstration. Speakers at the rally will include climate activist Luisa Neubauer (Fridays for Future). With the referendum on 26 March, the alliance wants to ensure that Berlin becomes climate neutral by 2030 and not by 2045 as previously planned. Source: morgenpost

“An underground expansion of this magnitude is out of all common sense”

Last Sunday, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has proposed a massive expansion of Berlin’s underground network. Transport researcher Andreas Knie from the Technical University of Berlin believes such a concept to be unrealistic. “The costs for this can hardly be quantified, we are certainly in the region of around 100 billion euros,” Knie said on Monday. “Apart from the immense costs, there are better ways to connect the outskirts with the city centre,” he added. The Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and the Berlin Passengers’ Association (IGEB) have also spoken out clearly against a massive expansion of Berlin’s underground network. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Calls for minimum wage to be raised

Just a few months after the minimum wage was last raised in Germany, Sozialverband, a political advocacy organisation in Germany, is calling on Olaf Scholz’s government to increase the minimum wage to 14,13 euros per hour. It has now been half a year since the government raised the minimum hourly wage to 12 euros. Still, the Sozialverband points out at inflation and rising living costs, considering the recent increase is already insufficient for people to support themselves. The current minimum wage, 12 euros per hour since October 2022, is set to remain unchanged until 2024. Source: iamexpat

Fewer members at the Bundestag in the future

Germany has the second largest parliament in the world after China. However, after years of dispute, the Bundestag has passed an electoral reform law which will reduce the size of the parliament from 736 to 630 members. A bill by the governing traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP achieved the required simple majority on Friday. 400 deputies voted in favour of the reform, according to Deputy Bundestag President Aydan Özoguz (SPD). 261 deputies voted against the bill and 23 parliamentarians abstained. The opposition CDU/CSU and the Left Party see themselves disadvantaged by the reform. Source: rbb

AfD judge removed from office

Berlin judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who was detained during a major raid against the ‘Reich Citizens scene’, is no longer allowed to serve. The Berlin Judicial Service Court provisionally removed the former AfD member of the Bundestag from her duties during a summary proceedings last Thursday. She is suspected of belonging to a group around the far-right businessman and monarchist Heinrich Prinz Reuß, which is said to have planned a coup d’état and prepared an attack on the Bundestag for this purpose. She was earmarked as a future justice minister in the imagined shadow cabinet of the Reich Citizens. Source: taz

Germany falls in list of happiest countries

Despite many international crises at present, the global sense of happiness has remained remarkably constant. This is the conclusion reached by an independent team of experts in the latest World Happiness Report, which was published last Monday. Essential factors for the evaluation of life are access to education, social cohesion, and crime rate. The northernmost country in the EU seems to be doing everything right, with Finland at the top for the 6th year in a row. Germany, on the other hand has slipped considerably, falling two places compared to the previous report and this year lands in 16th place. Source: merkur

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Referendum on 26 March: a clear figure

The initiators of the Berlin 2030 climate-neutral referendum believe a survey commissioned by them confirms their assumption that they have a chance of winning the vote on 26 March. At the start of the coalition negotiations between the CDU and the SPD, the initiative Klimaneustart Berlin published the results of a survey of 3,002 Berliners conducted by the opinion research institute Civey between 20 January and 17 February. According to it, 46.3% were in favor of a climate-neutral Berlin in 2030, which would be 15 years earlier than the Senate has planned so far. Source: morgenpost

Coffee, cake, referendum”: “Berlin 2030 climate neutral”

Two weeks before the referendum for more ambitious climate targets in Berlin, the initiators have started the final spurt. Around 300 people gathered on Nollendorfplatz in Berlin-Schöneberg on Saturday under the title “Coffee, Cake, Referendum”. “It is important to us to create broad acceptance among the Berlin population and to go into a conversation with people about how their own neighbourhood can become climate neutral,” said Jessamine Davis from the Klimaneustart Berlin alliance. The demand of the referendum on 26 March is that Berlin becomes climate neutral by 2030 and not by 2045 as previously planned. Source: tagesspiegel

“Die Post” and the strike in Berlin

Empty letterboxes and delayed parcels – this scenario was to be feared for the coming days and for the next weeks. After the collective bargaining between the Deutsche Post and ver.di has failed, the trade union called for unlimited strikes. In order for these to take place, they had to ask for a ballot. The result was announced last Thursday, where almost 86 percent voted for indefinite strikes. But these have been averted for the time being. Deutsche Post asked ver.di to continue negotiations at short notice in order to “reach an agreement”. Source: morgenpost

All-day warning strike at BER Airport

With the start of the early shift at 3.30 a.m., an all-day warning strike by security staff happened last Monday. “As announced, there will be no departures,” said the airport spokesman. Around 200 take-offs and about 27,000 passengers were affected. The trade union, ver.di, cited as background for this strike the so far unsuccessful collective negotiations for adequate pay for aviation security staff who work at inconvenient hours. Security workers at the airports in Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen airports also take part in the industrial action. The next round of negotiations for BER is scheduled for 27-29 March in Potsdam. Source: rbb24

Kreuzberg with no car parking spaces

Around 400 car parking spaces are to be eliminated in Kreuzberg’s Graefekiez. Instead, space is to be created for sharing vehicles such as electric scooters or cars. Residents will be able to redesign the vacant spaces, too. Among those parking areas, 80 are in a central area with several school locations. Residents affected can park their cars in a garage for 50 euros per month. This project will be reviewed in 2024. The project, which also includes closing a street to through traffic and setting speed limits, is being supported by the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB). Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

“Hospital reform” in Germany

German hospitals are on the brink of collapse. The Federal Health Minister’s answer to this is a heavily criticized “hospital reform”. Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has repeatedly tried to defend his plans for an alleged de-economization of this sector. Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein have recently voiced criticism of the plans. Lauterbach warned that if the states planned to go it alone on the “hospital reform”, there would be no money from the federal government. Among other issues, he plans to partially abolish the current flat rates per case and introduce a reserve payment for beds and staff. Source: jW

Germany’s €49 ticket

Since Monday 20th February, the BVG has made their new €49 monthly ticket, also known as the “Deutschlandticket” available for pre-oder. With it, you get access to (almost) all public transport throughout Germany. However, if you don’t manage to pre-order it before May 1st, here’s some important info to remember: you will need to have bought your subscription before the 20th of the month in order for it to be valid for the next month. That means that if you want to use your €49 ticket from the start of May, you need to purchase it before the 20th of April. Source: exberliner

Roger Waters takes legal action against cancellation of performances in Germany

The city of Frankfurt wants to ban a concert by ex-Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters – citing his “anti-Israel appearance”. Munich is planning something similar. Now the dispute over Roger Waters’ concert series in Germany is getting a judicial aftermath. The musician and Pink Floyd co-founder wants to take legal action against the planned cancellation of his concerts in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. Such cancellation of his concerts is “unconstitutional” and “unjustified”, as someone from his staff explained. They were based “on the false accusation that Roger Waters is anti-Semitic, which he is not”. Source: spiegel

NEWS FROM BERLIN

CDU-SPD coalition negotiations set to start, with 14 working groups

As of Thursday, the CDU and the SPD are planning to go into coalition negotiations. A total of 14 working groups are to be formed – an umbrella group and 13 subgroups. Their first meeting on the formation of a coalition is to take place next Thursday. Over the weekend, the CDU and SPD agreed on the coalition roadmap. Among the subgroups´ themes are climate protection, housing, internal security, mobility, education and administrative reform. Coalition negotiations are set to last until the end of March. After which a new senate could be formed by the end of April. Source: rbb

Shots at LGBTQ+ museum building in Berlin

Shots were fired at the “Schwules Museum” (Gay museum) building last month. The police are investigating the incident. Members of the museum administration noticed on February 24 the six bullet holes on the front of the building. Two windowpanes, the illuminated sign “Schwules Museum” and a work of art in front of the entrance door were damaged. It is not known exactly when the shots were fired. Although the museum receives various regular threats via phone calls or online comments, there were currently no specific threats. The Museum was founded in 1984 and it is one of the largest LGBTQ+ museums in the world. Source: rbb

Tempelhofer Feld development: a new vote is up for debate

In 2014, more than 60 per cent of voters voted against building on Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin. It did not take long, however, for the loosing side to think about a second attempt. The CDU – possibly soon to be the governing party – is now venturing a new advance. The idea of having the Berlin population vote a second time on the (peripheral) development of Tempelhofer Feld is almost as old as the successful first referendum in 2014. Currently, it would be necessary to amend the “Voting Act”, but the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament is unlikely to be achieved. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Ver.di welcomes more than 45,000 new members

In the midst of ongoing collective bargaining disputes with numerous so-called “warning strikes”, the trade union ver.di is gaining many new members. “We have gained over 45,000 new members in the first two months of this year,” announced ver.di boss Frank Werneke. This is the largest increase in such a short period since the union was founded in 2001. According to Werneke, many new members work in the public sector or at the post office. In the past years, Verdi had lost members. According to the union, there were about 1.86 million members at the end of 2022, compared to in 2021, where there were 1.89 million members. Source: rbb

Activists of the “Last Generation” paint the Federal Ministry of Transport

The group “Last Generation” sprayed orange paint on the Federal Ministry of Transport this Tuesday, using a vehicle with fire-fighting equipment. So far it is unclear where the vehicle came from. “Last Generation” also said they wanted to give Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) a “cold shower”. Wissing is blocking “climate protection for the whole of Europe” said Jakob Beyer, spokesperson for the group. An EU vote on the planned banning on new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035 had been postponed last Friday because of Germany’s demands. Wissing said the country could not agree to such a proposal. Source: rbb

Equal pay for equal work – still far away

The euphoria was huge when the Federal Labour Court handed down its landmark ruling for more equal pay for Susanne Dumas, who found out by chance she earned less than a male colleague with a similar profile. That plaintiff dedicated her success to “my two daughters and on behalf of all women in Germany”. Dumas is not the first woman to sue for “equal pay”, but is the first plaintiff to be awarded the full wage, unjustifiably withheld from her. Alexa Wolfstädter (ver.di), considers, though, “Transparency is not enough, we need a real equal pay law.” Women in Germany earn on average 18 per cent less than men. Source: nd-aktuell

Separation in installments

That Sahra Wagenknecht does not want to run again for Die Linke in the next federal election is no surprise. For years, Wagenknecht has been at odds with her party on crucial issues. This was the case in the refugee debate from 2015, in the Corona crisis, and now in the face of the Ukraine war. The other day she referred to her party as “the party I still belong to”. Such statements fuel speculation about her leaving Die Linke and founding a new party. Next year will be European elections, with a lower requirement of 3.5% to enter the EU parliament. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM BERLIN

35,000 people at Wagenknecht and Schwarzer’s rally

A demonstration in favor of the war in Ukraine until Kiev’s “victory” had about 7,000 people. For that, the Berlin police projected 10,000 participants. The much larger rally organized by Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Schwarzer, following the “Manifesto for Peace,” signed by over 600,000 people, had an estimated 35,000 people at the place, but the police declared only 13,000 participants. The police seemed to take note of the strong influx to the rally, though. For instance, no trains were stopping at the Brandenburg Gate station, citing overcrowding. Schwarzer mentioned “It was such a peaceful and happy mood. No party-linked mood, no sectarian mood.” Source: jW

Greenpeace occupies SPD HQ’s roof

Activists from the group Greenpeace climbed onto the roof of the Willy Brandt House in Berlin on Monday to protest against the construction of motorways. The group is demanding that Social Democrats speak out against further construction projects. The protesters put up a banner with the inscription “Fortschritt wagen: Bahn statt Beton” (“dare progress: rail instead of concrete”) on the house. Greenpeace activists also wanted to demonstrate on the ground but were stopped. Police were present at the scene with a large contingent of around 100 officers. Lena Donat, advisor on low-carbon mobility, affirmed on the spot that “Building motorways is not socially just.” Source: welt

Die Linke demands expropriation law in Berlin by mid-2024

The Berlin regional association of the Left Party (die Linke) is calling for the drafting of an expropriation law by mid-2024. Since eleven of the party’s twelve district chairpersons have signed the motion, a clear adoption can be assumed. The proposers call for “the drafting of a bill and its vote in the House of Representatives by mid-2024 at the latest”. The demand is justified, among other things, by the interim report of the expert commission on the implementation of the referendum, published in mid-December. Left Party state leader Katina Schubert also spoke about the implementation depending on “coalition negotiations.” Source: tagesspiegel

SPD clears the way for talks with CDU

The SPD in Berlin wants to start coalition negotiations with the CDU, which won the election. According to state chairman Raed Saleh, the vote of the state executive board was clear, with 67.6% in favor. Asked why the SPD had decided against the previous red-green-red coalition, Giffey replied that they had received “very clear” signals from the CDU in the exploratory talks, “which were much more responsive to what is important to social democracy.” In the SPD, however, there were also many voices against an alliance with the CDU. The Jusos in particular are firmly opposed to a coalition with the CDU. “The CDU does not suit Berlin and does not suit the SPD,” Berlin co-chair Sinem Taşan-Funke declared. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Scholz woos workers in India

Olaf Scholz (SPD) is interested in skilled workers from India. He wants to facilitate their immigration, especially for the IT sector – but not only. In Bengaluru, India’s software and IT centre, Scholz visited, among other things, the local site of the German IT company SAP and met Indians who will soon start a job in Germany. Scholz had also agreed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to expand economic relations between the two countries. Both heads of government advocated the conclusion of an EU-India free trade agreement. The background is also Germany’s desire to become less dependent on China, Germany’s largest trading partner. Source: dw

Significantly fewer vegetables harvested in Germany

The quantity of vegetables harvested in Germany fell significantly last year, partly due to heat and drought. A total of 3.8 million tons were harvested, 12% less than in 2021, according to the Federal Statistical Office. That was also 2% less than the average for the years 2016 to 2021. Carrots saw a particularly sharp drop of 19%. Organic farms produced a total of 431,000 tons of vegetables on 17,800 hectares. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture currently sees no signs there could be shortages in the supply of vegetables and fruit in Germany like in other countries such as Britain. Source: n-tv

GFF wants to defend freedom against security

Suddenly, the Society for Freedom Rights (GFF) is on everyone’s lips. The non-governmental organisation, which has existed since 2015, recently won three court cases. One case was about automated data analysis by the police, so-called data mining. In the second case, a complaint was filed against the storage of mobile phone data of refugees. In the third case, the court ruled negotiating skills should not be an argument for different pay for women and men. The initial spark of the association was Ulf Buermeyer, now the chair of the GFF board. The former judge is known through his podcast “State of the Nation”, created together with journalist Philip Banse. Source: nd

Warning strikes in South Brandenburg

The city and district administrations of southern Brandenburg are to go on strike all day on Thursday, according to ver.di. The reason for the strike is the unsuccessful collective bargaining round for public service workers on the federal and local level. The union is demanding a 10.5% wage increase, with a minimum of 500 euros, and a monthly increase of at least 200 euros for trainees, retroactive to 1 January. Municipal day-care centers in the Königs Wusterhausen area and its surroundings are also expected to be closed Thursday due to the strike, ver.di explained. Source: rbb24

What changes in March

From 1 March on, price brakes for electricity and gas will take effect. There also will be financial relief for students. As of 15 March, they can apply for the flat-rate energy allowance of 200 euros. Corona measures will be relaxed in March, too: the staff of health and care facilities will no longer be required to wear masks. In this month, all owners of mopeds, mopeds, scooters, or e-scooters should remember to change their number plates again. And last, but not least: the Federal Cross of Merit will be the same size for women as for men. Source: rbb24