From socialisation to phone bans: what Berlin's Left, Greens and SPD have agreed

Der Tagesspiegel's lead news piece sums up the exploratory paper agreed by the Left, Greens and SPD after four weeks of talks. The document, titled 'Mehr gemeinsam, mehr Berlin', spans about 30 pages and covers everything from expropriations of large private landlords to a mobile-phone ban in schools. Core points: socialisation of around 160,000 rental apartments held by companies with more than 10,000 units, compensation capped at 16 billion euros, a 2 percent annual rent cap in state-owned housing, 100,000 new building permits by 2031, climate neutrality by 2030, cheaper social transit tickets, one free bulk-waste pickup a year, and a joint declaration against antisemitism to be written into the coalition treaty. At least 400 million euros a year in extra revenue is to be raised through fees and taxes. The Greens and SPD vote on 21 October, the Left on 31 October, with coalition talks starting in early November. The three parties together hold 91 of 130 seats in the Abgeordnetenhaus.