NEWS FROM BERLIN

Delays for the “social ticket”

The “social ticket” (Sozialticket) will allow Berliners to use buses and trains in tariff zones A and B for nine euros. But there are issues with the application for the ticket. As announced last Thursday, overloads in the offices and a technical defect make the ticket difficult to apply for. It is not known when the problems might be solved.  Social Senator Katja Kipping (The Left) criticised problems with the social ticket, which affect people who were already living on the edge or below the subsistence level. A possible penalty of 60 euros for missing proof during a check might quickly lead to a debt trap. Source: rbb24

Last Generation and Extinction Rebellion announce actions in Berlin

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion and Last Generation are calling for protests in Berlin’s government district in the coming days. A protest camp is to be set up in the Invalidenpark from Wednesday until April 17, Extinction Rebellion announced. The park is located between the ministries of transport and economy and climate protection. In addition, Last Generation is calling for “peaceful civil resistance” in Berlin’s government quarter from April 19. There will also be national mobilisation.  Demonstrations and “actions of civil disobedience” are planned for a so-called “spring rebellion.” Source: BZ

Anti-Semitism at demonstration in Berlin

At a Palestinian demonstration in Kreuzberg and Neukölln, hundreds chanted “Death to Israel!” Many apparently made no secret of their hatred against Israel. Police are now investigating several cases of suspected incitement to hatred. Video footage is being analysed as well. Politicians from various parties also expressed their horror at the events. “The right to demonstrate and to defend one’s positions also has limits,” wrote for instance Dennis Radtke (CDU) on Twitter. “Why their transgression was tolerated must be clarified. In the ‘never again’ country, one can only be ashamed of this.” Source: BZ

Hospital reform

“It is the third step before the first,” says Anja Voigt of the Berlin alliance “Health not Profits,” criticising the federal government’s hospital reform proposals. Voigt does not think a shift to outpatient treatment would be wrong if it means patients who did not need inpatient care would not end up in hospitals. “But for that to happen, outpatient care would first have to be expanded before hospitals close down. The patients must go somewhere,” says the nurse. The new CDU-SPD coalition seems to see things similarly: in their coalition agreement, it is written: “We want to ensure health and emergency care close to home even after the reform.” Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Bicycle parking spaces with light

Bad figures have rarely been presented with such glee: according to a study by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrradclub (ADFC), not even half of the 179 train or S-Bahn stations in Schleswig-Holstein offer bicycle parking considered satisfactory by their users. “But for us, the glass is half full, not half empty,” says ADCF director Jan Voß about the many positive examples, such as parking spaces that have walls made of perforated sheeting, to ensure that it is bright inside, and locks that can be opened by code. Big cities fared poorly in comparison with small towns: they offer such spaces, but clearly too few in view of the large numbers of commuters. Source: taz

Jet thunder over Germany

It’s getting loud over Germany: from June 12 to 23, up to 10,000 soldiers from 24 countries are to take part in NATO’s air war exercise “Air Defender 23.” It is the largest exercise of its kind to date. The bases at Jagel/Hohn (Schleswig-Holstein), Laage (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Wunstorf (Lower Saxony), Lechfeld (Bavaria), Spangdahlem (Rhineland-Palatinate), as well as Volkel in the Netherlands and Čáslav in the Czech Republic, will be particularly utilized for this purpose. A total of around 200 aircraft are to be transferred to Europe from May onwards, half of them from the USA. Source: nd-aktuell

Strike instead of wage sacrifice

The workers of the insolvent department store chain Galeria Karstadt-Kaufhof (GKK) continue to fight for their rights. On Holy Saturday, they followed a call by the trade union ver.di for an all-day warning strike in three federal states: Baden-Württemberg, the city of Hamburg, and Hesse. The union wants to fight for the recognition of the retail sector regional collective agreements for the approximately 17,000 employees nationwide. So far, the management has refused to return to the national collective agreement, proposing instead a “flexibilisation of working time,” ver.di complained in a press release. Source: jW

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Ombudsman’s office registers more complaints about discrimination

Thanks to a special law, anyone who experiences discrimination from the authorities in Berlin can defend themselves. The complaints which arrive at the responsible ombudsman’s office under the Berlin Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG) are diverse and increasing. In 2022, there were 645 reports (2021: 613), according to head of the German Press Agency Doris Liebscher. In the first quarter of 2023, there were 205 complaints. That represents 45 per cent more than in the same period last year. Berlin is so far the only federal state that has its own anti-discrimination law. Source: rbb

Greens and Left in Berlin against compulsory religion as a subject in schools

Should a black-red government come into power, the CDU and SPD not only want to introduce religion as a compulsory subject from the 7th grade onward, but also to require that teachers of religious subjects pass a “state-exam”. So far, the religious and ideological communities provide lessons, which are offered as an optional subject in primary school. In 2009, there was even a referendum on the introduction of religion as a compulsory subject in schools. At that time, 51.4 per cent voted against it. The Greens and the Left have criticised the idea. Source: tagesspiel

Hackescher Markt: a pedestrian zone

Hackescher Markt and adjacent streets in Berlin-Mitte are to become a pedestrian only zone. This was decided by the district assembly (BVV) of Mitte on Thursday with votes in favour from the Greens, the SPD and the Left. The district office is thus called upon to redesign the area into a pedestrian zone together with the Senate Environmental Administration. The area is chronically crowded: many shops and tourists – with narrow pavements. According to the resolution, delivery traffic to all shops should remain possible. Craftsmen and care workers will also be allowed to drive into the area. Trams would continue to have priority. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Interim results from study into police

A study into “everyday police work” commissioned following many accusations of racism in the force has found in interim results that police officers in Germany have issues with workload, stress and low satisfaction. The study was commissioned by the German Police University under the former Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU). Seehofer vehemently refused a study into racism focusing solely on the police. According to the study, managers and law enforcement officers were also confronted with allegations of racism. “Misanthropic positions,” it summarises, “can also be found in the police, as in the population as a whole.” However, tendencies to devalue asylum seekers are visible in almost 30 percent of the respondents. Source: tagesschau

“Scholz’s silence is incredibly loud”

Trade unions and social associations have called on Chancellor Scholz to intervene in a dispute over the basic child allowance. The Chief Executive of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, Ulrich Schneider, criticised the argument given by Christian Lindner (FDP), regarding an increase in child benefit to 250 euros as a “classic smokescreen”. Linder claims there is not enough funds to increase the support for families, however, under the current plan, wealthier families will receive more financial aid than poorer ones in the form of tax rebates. Economist Martin Werding also cast doubts on the policy. A member of the German Council of Economic Experts, the economist said “Poor families have nothing to gain from the higher child benefit because it is fully offset against the citizen’s allowance for their children”. Source: tagesschau

Which skilled workers Germany really needs

In Germany, more than two and a half million people are looking for work – and at the same time there is a shortage of almost two million skilled workers. How does this fit together and, above all, where is the are the most pressing shortages? The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) goes further concluding in its Skilled Workers Report 2022 that the “shortages of skilled workers are increasing.” Also, Sabine Köhne-Finster, co-author of the IW study “Fachkräftereport Dezember 2022” mentions the social sector in particular is strongly affected, with a lack of “social workers, educators”. Source: dw

Charles´ appearance in Bundestag criticised

Charles III is the first King to address the members of the German Bundestag (as a prince, he spoke to the House on Remembrance Day, in 2020). However, his visit does not evoke joy everywhere: the Left Party openly rejects it. Martin Schirdewan, leader of the Left Party, has criticised the speech of the British King in the Bundestag. “It is not appropriate for the highest democratic body to bow before a monarch,” he said. Also, left-wing MP Ates Gürpinar announced he would stay away from the King’s speech of the in the plenary hall. Source: n-tv

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