Expropriations in Germany: Legal reality instead of taboo
The Left in Berlin wants to socialize apartments. There are good arguments against this - but the fact that the state should not touch private property is not one of them.
Quick Look
- The Berlin Left's plans to socialize housing stock are economically controversial, but legally possible.
- The Basic Law allows expropriations, which take place regularly in Germany for road construction, monument protection or open-cast mining.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Left party in Berlin is calling for large housing stock to be transferred to public ownership. This raises legal and political questions about the protection of private property under the Basic Law.
The Left in Berlin wants to transfer hundreds of thousands of apartments into public ownership. There are good arguments against this. However, the fact that the state is not allowed to touch private property is not part of it.
The Left wants to socialize the housing stock of large real estate companies in Berlin. The plans are a bad idea economically. But: State access to private property is by no means new in Germany. It is constantly being expropriated in this country.
The Basic Law does protect property. However, it expressly allows both expropriation and socialization. In 2025, 177 expropriation proceedings were underway in Germany for road construction alone. In Flensburg, for example, a farmer was supposed to give up parts of his property for a bypass road.
In Thuringia, the expropriation of Reinhardsbrunn Palace and Park was decided in 2018. The aim was to secure the cultural monument, which was threatened with decay. The best-known example is Garzweiler. Entire villages were relocated and land was expropriated for open-cast lignite mining in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the Rhenish district alone, more than 40,000 people lost their homes, without CDU politicians being able to see anything reprehensible in this.
There are better arguments
In contrast to expropriations, socialization has not yet taken place in the Federal Republic. The Basic Law expressly allows land or means of production to be transferred to public ownership. The relevant article has never been used. But that doesn't change the fact that state access to private property is a reality in Germany.
That's why it's cheap for Chancellor Friedrich Merz to warn against the Left's plans and assure international investors: "There are no expropriations of private property in Germany." Yes, there are. And not just since the left has set its sights on housing companies.
Open Questions
- How does the Federal Constitutional Court assess possible socialization?
- What economic consequences would the implementation of Berlin's plans have?
