Berlin Left, Greens and SPD Sharply Criticise Dobrindt's Anti-Socialisation Investment Bill

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) sketched out the outlines of a proposed Investment Protection Act in the Bild-Zeitung on Sunday, which would impose strict conditions on any future socialisation of large private housing portfolios. Under the plan, socialisation would only be permitted where there is a compelling necessity, and any compensation would have to be paid immediately in cash at full market value, determined by an independent appraisal.

Berlin's Left parliamentary group leader and lead candidate Elif Eralp called the proposal unconstitutional, telling ZDF's Morgenmagazin: "You cannot use a federal law to make impossible what the Basic Law provides for and what the people of Berlin voted for." She added that the bill had nothing to do with investment protection and was instead a law against Berlin's tenants.

Greens state chair Philmon Ghirmai told the Tagesspiegel that the move showed a lack of respect for voters, describing it as a partisan manoeuvre to simply sweep aside a democratic decision. SPD state chief Steffen Krach was sharper, accusing Dobrindt of acting "increasingly actionist and embarrassing" and pointing to what he called the Union's "screaming lack of planning." Krach also accused the federal government of interfering in Berlin's election campaign with half-baked prohibition ideas that had helped fuel the socialisation debate in the first place.

The three parties had already agreed in exploratory coalition talks to socialise holdings of large real estate companies above 10,000 apartments, with compensation capped at a maximum of 16 billion euros — well below market value. The federal government had originally announced in July that it wanted to ban the socialisation of large housing companies outright.