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Berlin opposition sees Franziska Giffey damaged

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The CDU and FPD see the Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) as damaged by the Berlin SPD’s probable departure from the further construction of the A100 to Storkower Strasse. “It would be a kick in the shin of Berlin’s governing mayor Giffey if the state SPD deviated from the course of its allies and wanted to enforce a planning freeze at its party conference,” said Oliver Friederici, spokesman for transport policy for the CDU parliamentary group in the House of Representatives.

Giffey did not rule out further construction during the House of Representatives election campaign and raised other expectations. “Your party’s no to the further construction of the A100 would be another painful slap in the face for you,” said Friederici.

The CDU politician also referred to the latest surveys, according to which the majority of Berliners are in favor of the further construction of the city motorway. “Without the continuation, traffic jams and thick air would be programmed around the Elsenbrücke,” said Friederici. Therefore, the turning away of the Berlin SPD from a continuation beyond the current 16th construction phase is also “against the interests of the Berliners”.

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The CDU is therefore demanding clarification from the party leadership of the federal Social Democrats and from Giffey as to where the SPD is heading – and why the party wants to deny citizens “better transport connections, less traffic in residential streets and better air quality in this part of the city”.

The opposition FDP not only sees Giffey damaged, but also SPD faction leader Raed Saleh. “The SPD is preparing to programmatically submit to coalition discipline. The decision snubs Franziska Giffey and Raed Saleh, who wanted to complete the A100 with the 17th construction phase,” said FDP traffic expert Felix Reifschneider.

With a decision by the SPD party congress against further construction beyond the Elsenbrücke, Saleh’s proposal for a referendum on the A100 was also buried. “The SPD is moving further and further away from the election program for which it was elected,” said the FDP politician. “The A100 makes sense in terms of traffic because it bundles traffic outside of the residential areas and shortens the distances in the east of the city.”

The application entitled “No further planning for the 17th construction phase of the A100” for the SPD party conference on June 19 comes from the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district association. The Applications Committee recommends that the application be accepted. Party circles expect a majority for it.

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In the SPD, further construction also has advocates, there is no uniform line in the party. Before the 2021 election, the SPD decided to carry out a city-wide citizen survey on the continuation of the A100 beyond the 16th construction phase. The coalition agreement with the Greens and the Left Party contains the compromise formula that Berlin will not make any further plans for the further construction of the city motorway in the current legislative period.

As is well known, the FDP-led Federal Ministry of Transport had recently pushed ahead with the planning for the further construction, which is part of the old but still valid Federal Transport Route Plan. Against the will of the red-green-red Berlin Senate, the federal government officially tendered the planning for the 17th construction phase of the city motorway.