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Tuesday 4, April

CDU and SPD set out plans for Berlin’s next government

Under the motto "The Best for Berlin", the CDU and SPD set out their plans. But it could still all be for nothing.

Photo: IMAGO / Stefan Zeitz

Tuesday 4, April

On Tuesday, there were 236 new Covid-19 infections reported in Berlin. The seven-day incidence currently stands at 28.5 cases per 100,000 people.

The CDU and SPD set out their program for Berlin’s next government

The two parties have been negotiating for three weeks, but yesterday the SPD and CDU finally laid out their plans to form Berlin’s next government. Under the motto, “The Best for Berlin” the coalition agreement consisted of a whopping 24 chapters and 135 pages, placing particular emphasis on key topics like mobility, construction, climate, administration and education. So, what were the key takeaways?

Plans will be drawn up for the “cautious development” of Tempelhofer Feld

The truth is, despite being very long, the agreement wasn’t all that clear. There are plans to expand public transport, promising new train lines and a more regular service. Berlin’s expected future mayor Kai Wegner has made clear their intention to make “offers not bans”. This will look like the end of a car-free Friedrichstrasse, with a likely halt on the development of future car-free areas.

€5 billion will be set aside for climate protection and the €29 ticket is set to be extended indefinitely. However, it was also confirmed that plans will be drawn up for the “cautious development” of Tempelhofer Feld. This will start with a competition for proposals, followed by a public vote.

SPD members still have the opportunity to refuse their party’s proposal to bring the CDU into power in Berlin

However, there’s still a chance that none of this could come to pass at all. SPD members still have the opportunity to refuse their party’s proposal to bring the CDU into power in Berlin for the first time since 2001.

Now that the CDU and SPD have their plan, voting begins – and we won’t know the results until April 23. Soon-to-be former mayor Franziska Giffey did make a stark warning though. She insisted that a No vote would not mean the return of a Red-Red-Green government, but rather that her party would then go into opposition, leaving a coalition between the CDU and the Greens as the only other viable option.