“Patron of the real estate lobby” – Left leader Pantisano attacks Construction Minister Hubertz

The Left sharply criticizes Federal Construction Minister Verena Hubertz (SPD) for announcing a federal law against real estate expropriation.

“The SPD seems to have completely lost its political compass and is doing everything it can to protect the interests of the real estate lobby,” said Left party leader Luigi Pantisano WELT.

“While many people hardly know how to pay their rent, Hubertz is making herself the patron saint of the real estate lobby.” Hubertz is stabbing tenants in the back.

Hubertz had previously announced an “investment protection law” that is intended to prevent the expropriation of living space.

“Socialization does not solve the problem,” said Hubertz in an interview with “t-online”.

"It doesn't create a single apartment, but the costs are in the double-digit billions. You could build entire districts with that." Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) had already announced a law in response to the Berlin Left's expropriation plans.

In the ongoing expropriation debate, investors and real estate companies asked themselves whether investments would still be safe, said Hubertz.

That law should come as quickly as possible; the lead lies with the Federal Ministry of the Interior under Alexander Dobrindt (CSU).

Socialization, as the Left is striving for, is “expensive and highly problematic both legally and economically,” said Hubertz.

There is a need for “more apartments and better rules on the housing market”.

Pantisano, in turn, calls for “limiting the outrageous market power of large stock corporations” and “bringing housing back into public hands”.

“It is really unbelievable how the Union and the SPD want to prevent living space from being given back to the people by all means,” said the Left leader to WELT.

“Hubertz is specifically attacking the majority of Berliners who decided in favor of socialization years ago.” In a referendum in September 2021, around 59 percent of Berlin voters voted for the socialization of large real estate companies.

The Left chairman contradicts Hubertz.

“And anyone who now says that Vergesellschaftung is not building a single new apartment is ignoring the fact that Vonovia in particular is not building almost a single new apartment.” It's more about the residents of those around 240,000 apartments and the affordability of the apartments.

“That’s why we have to pull out all the stops, not together with the lobby, but against them: the public actors have to decide for themselves again where to go,” said Pantisano.

A conversation between Pantisano and Vonovia boss Luka Mucic planned for last Wednesday failed at short notice.

The party said it canceled the meeting because Mucic refused to allow a journalist to attend and insisted on a confidential conversation.

Vonovia contradicted the representation.