In the discussion of the housing shortage, high Rents and the possible expropriation has turned now the Federal Minister of justice: Katarina Barley (SPD) calls for higher taxes for rental platforms in the Internet. Portals such as Airbnb reinforced the housing shortage and pushed up prices in desirable cities, said the SPD’s top candidate for the European election in the Newspapers of the Funke media group. While Airbnb will pay significantly less tax than Hotels and Hostels.

‘ It’s not just a question of platforms such as Airbnb earned a Golden nose, said Barley, is exacerbating the housing problems in the big cities. “Because in Berlin and other European cities, half the houses are permanently used for online holiday rentals, is the living room in addition, almost.” The driver also rent the comparison and the Rent high.

Barley argues, in addition, for changes in EU law, in order to create more living space. To do this, you want to make the EU debt Pact more flexible so that municipalities can spend more money for the construction of social housing and the rise in Rents and a housing shortage in Europe’s fight. “There are in the whole of Europe, a housing crisis. We need Palermo to Potsdam quickly more social housing,” said the SPD politician.

be A further opportunity for public investment to the municipalities for affordable Housing from the Maastricht criteria to exclude said Barley. These criteria allow the EU member States currently have an annual deficit of a maximum of three percent of economic output. Social housing fail rules in addition to the strict European competition, said Barley. “This will have to be relaxed, so that we can achieve with public money, a greater social mix of residential neighbourhoods.”

municipalities for new construction projects, a quota of at least 30 percent of the social subsidised housing, could also receive higher subsidies from the EU structural funds. The Minister made the claims of a new European citizens ‘ initiative wants to collect within a year a Million signatures to the EU to call on Commission to Act.

SPD remains in the case of no expropriation

The green Chairman Robert Habeck had in the previous week with his comment about possible housing expropriation caused quite a stir and the discussion of lack of housing fueled. If, for example, the owner of idle land wanted to build, nor to the city to sell, must, if necessary, the consequences of the expropriation. The basic law provides for such expropriation to the benefit of the common good in principle. Previously had already proposed an Initiative in Berlin, to the apartments of large corporations to pool: real estate companies with more than 3,000 homes were to be expropriated, in order to reduce rental rates.

The papers of the editorial network, Germany Habeck said he was aware “that the word expropriation to trigger bad connotations”. But his Remarks had contributed to the fact that the topic is now widely discussed: “And this is long overdue.” The exorbitant increase in Rents had not been slowed by the policy sufficiently.

Barley confirmed, meanwhile, that no of the Federal SPD to expropriations of large housing corporations. “We are against expropriation. Although legally possible, but it takes a very long time to enforce them,” said the Minister. Expropriation cost also much money, because the basic law of compensation, the owner, added Barley. “That is a good thing. We can’t nationalize housing providers, the not like us, sometimes just for a symbolic Euro. Important is, that will be built, so that more housing is available.”