As the debate over the complete relocation of the federal government to Berlin continues, Brandenburg’s Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has expressed support for the demand made by Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU).
In an interview with the “Tagesspiegel”, Woidke said, “Our stance remains clear: the federal government should relocate completely to Berlin.” At the same time, the region of Bonn should be strengthened by other federal authorities and international institutions.
Brandenburg’s Finance Minister, Robert Crumbach, who is also the Vice-Minister-President and the chairman of the SPD’s state association, was even more explicit in his statement. “The complete relocation of all federal ministries to Berlin is long overdue. It is an insult to East Germany and Berlin that the relocation is not yet complete” Crumbach said in the same interview. The relocation should be accompanied by “massive investments in affordable housing in Berlin and the surrounding area.”
Crumbach also linked the relocation to the past, saying, “The politics of today should ask itself why in the West German Bonn Republic, some things functioned better. Why was social ascent more possible, why did the trains run on time, why did our healthcare system function better, and why did bridges not collapse?”
Woidke and Crumbach are speaking out against plans by Federal Housing Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) to establish Bonn as a permanent second government seat. On January 7, Geywitz announced an intention agreement with the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the city of Bonn, and surrounding districts to secure the future of the so-called federal city of Bonn and to strengthen several political and cultural institutions in the city.
Geywitz, who comes from the SPD in Brandenburg, like Woidke, was previously the general secretary of the state party under Woidke. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Wegner had previously advocated for relocating all federal ministries to Berlin, saying, “The federal government belongs completely in Berlin. Anything else is not efficient, climate-damaging, and expensive.” Therefore, the complete relocation should be planned and implemented now.