Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen

Article 14 of the Basic Law states that "property entails obligations. Its use shall also serve the public good". But the existence of an article allowing socialization was employed to advocate for pauses on rent increases or expropriation of high-volume property ownership. Article 15 states the legal basis i.e "Grund und Boden [..] können zum Zwecke der Vergesellschaftung durch ein Gesetz [..] in Gemeineigentum.. überführt werden (Land, natural resources and means of production may, for the purpose of socialization, be transferred to public ownership or other forms of public enterprise by a law that determines the nature and extent of compensation). Article 15 has never been used in practice. == First referendum ==

Signature collection—phase 1 A total of 77,001 signatures were collected between April and July 2019. At least 58,000 of them were validated, exceeding the 20,000 signatures quorum required for a legal review by the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sports. Legal review The legal review by the Berlin Senate took place over a period of 441 days from 4 July 2019 to 17 September 2020. Signature collection—phase 2 A further 349,658 signatures were collected over a four month period between 26 February and 25 June 2021. It was the highest number of signatures ever collected in a Berlin referendum. Expert commission After the referendum passed, a 13 member expert commission was established to determine the constitutionality of the referendum and its compatibility with Article 15 of the Basic Law that deals with expropriation. On 28 June 2023, nearly two years later, the commission concluded in its 150 page report that landlords can be expropriated and compensated with below-market value by the Berlin government. == Second referendum ==

On 26 September 2023, two years after the first referendum passed, campaign organizers announced a plan for a second referendum, a legal referendum that would be legally binding in contrast with the first one. == First referendum results ==

With the signature collection phase cleared, a referendum was scheduled for 26 September 2021, the same day as the Berlin state and federal elections. A majority of votes in favour of the referendum and a minimum of 25% of all eligible voters in favour were needed for the referendum to succeed, approximately 625,000 votes. In 2013, the energy referendum was approved by 83% of those who voted, but failed because only 24.2% of eligible Berlin voters, voted in favour, while quorum required 25% or more voters to pass. == Reception ==

== Conceptual development and publications ==

The initiative Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen started with a one-page paper listing their demands in fall 2018, a condensed version became the text of the referendum in 2019-2021. Between 2020 and 2023 the initiative expanded its concepts of socialization step by step and published several brochures dealing from tenant organization, legal and financial requirements of expropriation to climate justice. In 2022, an edited volume published by the initiative summarized the German debate on socialization, including voices from legal experts, the Berlin Senate, trade unions and environmental organizations. The volume also included a proposed law on socialization of housing, drafted by the initiative in 2021. Since federal law in Germany knows no standardized institutional form for socialized land, the initiative in 2023 further conceptualized their model of a public law institution called "Gemeingut Wohnen" that could take over administration of socialized housing stock in Berlin. Edited Volume • Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen: Wie Vergesellschaftung gelingt – Zum Stand der Debatte, parthas, Berlin 2022, ISBN 978-3-86964-130-0. Brochures edited by Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen • Tenant organizing: Zusammentun. Wie wir uns gemeinsam gegen den Mietenwahnsinn wehren können, Berlin 2019. • Socialization and Economy of Commons: Vergesellschaftung und Gemeinwirtschaft – Lösungen für die Berliner Wohnungskrise, Berlin 2020. • Gemeingut Wohnen - a Public Law Institution: Gemeingut Wohnen - Eine Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts für Berlins vergesellschaftete Wohnungsbestände , Berlin 2023. • Climate Justice: Wohnen, Klimagerecht - Fünf Argumente, warum das nur mit einer gemeinwirtschaftlichen Wohnraumversorgung zu schaffen ist , Berlin 2023. == Gallery ==

DWE march with Berlin background.jpg DWE truck banners.jpg DWE truck banners with Berlin background.jpg == See also ==