Spitzenkandidat (SPD)

Dima Vachedin talks to Steffen Krach (SPD), candidate for Governing Mayor of Berlin.

GENAU and WIR.DE present an interview series with the top candidates of the parties running in the Berlin election. We reached out to every party with a chance of entering the Berlin House of Representatives (including the AfD). GENAU editor-in-chief Dima Vachedin spoke with those who responded. This is the first interview in the series.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Mr. Krach, when was Berlin last well governed, in your opinion?

Steffen Krach:
When was Berlin last well governed?
I think the time under Franziska Giffey (Governing Mayor of Berlin 2021–2023, SPD – GENAU) was good. As a rule, things go better when a Social Democrat governs from the Rotes Rathaus – that much can be said. When Eberhard Diepgen (Governing Mayor 1991–2001, CDU – GENAU) was Governing Mayor, he left behind a huge mountain of debt. Klaus Wowereit (Governing Mayor 2001–2014, SPD – GENAU) then had to work it off.
Now we have a Governing Mayor whose decisions have massively damaged Berlin's reputation. That's why it's time for a Social Democrat to move back into the Rotes Rathaus.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Isn't it true that the office of Governing Mayor almost seems cursed at this point? For ten years, Berlin has been run by extremely unpopular governments.

Steffen Krach:
With Kai Wegner, that doesn't surprise me at all – given what he's put on display over the past five or six months. Starting with his tennis match on January 3rd and the falsehoods he then spread about it. Then came the entire funding scandal in the cultural sector. As a result, he had to fire his culture senator. The state secretary – the former parliamentary group leader who bears the main responsibility for it – is, by contrast, still in office to this day. That also shows that Kai Wegner, as CDU state chairman, apparently has hardly any authority within his own parliamentary group. Some people there can evidently do as they please, without any regard for the state chairman. On top of that, he appointed a state secretary for digitalization who had to leave after just 62 days because he turned out to be a complete misfit for the job – and still received a payout on his way out.
So the poor approval ratings don't surprise me in the slightest.

On top of that: Kai Wegner is thoroughly unambitious. He's torpedoing Berlin's Expo bid, for instance, even though the city would have real chances here. The Berlin state government really is the most unpopular state government in Germany, and that has to stop.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Does Berlin need the Expo and the Olympic Games?

Steffen Krach:
Yes – the SPD is the only party that wants both. The CDU wants the Olympics but not the Expo. The Greens want the Expo but not the Olympics. Die Linke wants neither. We say clearly: Berlin should try to bring an international event of this kind to the city.

Dmitry Vachedin:
You're campaigning and criticizing the government, while sitting in the governing coalition yourself. Isn't that a contradiction?

Steffen Krach:
Our senators (i.e. the Social Democratic ones – GENAU) are the stabilizing factor in this Senate. In this legislative period we've built more housing than ever before. Christian Gaebler (Senator for Urban Development, SPD – GENAU) deserves major credit for that. But of course the entire Senate gets judged – and mostly by its head, the Governing Mayor. And he has very poor approval ratings.

Dmitry Vachedin:
I believe you came to Berlin in the early 2000s. That was exactly the period when a lot of what made our city famous around the world came into being.

Steffen Krach:
That period really was marked by incredible energy, courage, and a determination to change things. It happened, by the way, under financially difficult conditions. Still, Klaus Wowereit gave Berlin international standing and international influence. That's exactly what's been lost under Kai Wegner. Kai Wegner plays practically no role internationally anymore: when the mayors of London, Paris, or New York get together, Wegner isn't there.

Dmitry Vachedin:
What do you think of the slogan "Poor but sexy"?

Steffen Krach:
For its time, that slogan was exactly right, and it will always be tied to Klaus Wowereit. But I don't think much of repeating a slogan for twenty or thirty years. I don't want to be poor anymore. We see poverty among children and among pensioners, and I don't want that. That's why we've put forward an economic policy program.

Dmitry Vachedin:
I read the program. It opens with the word "Anpacken" [roughly: "getting to work" / "rolling up our sleeves"]. How do you save Berlin's economy?

Steffen Krach:
The first step is to give it priority at all. We want to roll out the red carpet for business. Entrepreneurs should feel welcome in Berlin.
The second point: this is a matter for the top. Of course there's an economic senator. But when the CEO of a major company comes to Berlin, the Governing Mayor also needs to personally make time.
The third point is cutting red tape. We're going to adopt successful models from other states that have had the same problem.
And businesses go where there's mobility. Right now, BER (Berlin's airport – GENAU) isn't competitive by international standards.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Would you allow Emirates to fly direct to Berlin?

Steffen Krach:
Absolutely. If it were up to me, they could start tomorrow. Unfortunately, that has to be coordinated with the federal government. I'll get to work on it.

Dmitry Vachedin:
You then worked in Hanover for a few years. How did you experience Berlin when you came back? What had changed?

Steffen Krach:
I was in Berlin almost every week during that time. I have a lot of friends here, and I was also regularly in the city for work. What's clearly noticeable, though, is the deep frustration many people feel toward the Berlin state government – many have the impression that the state no longer functions properly. Take the blackout, or the ice day: Berliners don't feel that the Senate really cares about their problems. The city is drowning in trash.

Dmitry Vachedin:
You once said that the BSR [Berlin's public waste management company] actually does a good job. And yet Berlin keeps getting dirtier. Are Berliners themselves ultimately responsible?

Steffen Krach:
Trash doesn't fall from the sky. We also need to talk about personal responsibility. It's happened to me: I had a small child on my arm and couldn't sit down on the U-Bahn because there was food waste all over the seat. That can't become the norm – we need to push back against it.
At the same time, we naturally need to keep strengthening the BSR. A few years ago Berlin had 3.5 million residents; today it's almost four million. If the BSR needs another 20, 30, or 40 million euros, it should get that money. Berlin has a budget of around 45 billion euros, of which the BSR receives about 180 million. If necessary, that can become 220 million.

Dmitry Vachedin:
This summer we've experienced a period of extreme heat. How does the city prepare for events like this?

Steffen Krach:
Berlin has to become significantly greener. Wherever there are trees and green spaces, the urban climate is completely different. That's why, for example, I think the design of Gendarmenmarkt is problematic – a stone desert without a hint of green. That's why we decided to plant significantly more trees. We need to prepare for both heat and heavy rainfall. It doesn't help to simply say that climate policy doesn't interest you, the way the CDU does right now.

Dmitry Vachedin:
How do you fix public transit? Sometimes it's late, sometimes it just doesn't come at all.

Steffen Krach:
Ultimately it's a question of investment. Over the past decades, far too little was invested in infrastructure – not just in Berlin, but across Germany. We need investment in U-Bahn stations, in vehicles, and in the tram network.

Dmitry Vachedin:
But where's the money supposed to come from? The Technical University alone is repeatedly said to need billions in renovation funding.

Steffen Krach:
Step by step. With federal funds and private investment. We've already shown that with our school construction offensive. We're also investing heavily at the Charité – Europe's most modern heart center is currently being built there. And that's exactly why big projects like the Expo or the Olympics matter: they bring additional investment into the city.

Dmitry Vachedin:
What should happen to Tempelhofer Feld? Should it stay as it is, or be built on?

Steffen Krach:
I don't want to build on Tempelhofer Feld. It should become a park for the people – like Central Park in New York.

Dmitry Vachedin:
And should building on the edges be avoided too?

Steffen Krach:
I don't think that's the right approach. This open space is becoming more important with climate change. When we start seeing days of 40 degrees [Celsius] in the future, an open space like this in the middle of the city will matter enormously. It's the last large contiguous open space in central Berlin.

Dmitry Vachedin:
And what's your position on building high-rises?

Steffen Krach:
I don't know of a global city without high-rises. But I don't need luxury penthouses everywhere with views over the whole city and prices of several hundred euros per square meter. If high-rises help people find affordable housing, I have no problem with them.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Can you briefly outline your housing construction program?

Steffen Krach:
We have to build. My goal is 100,000 new apartments in the next legislative period. That means at least 20,000 apartments a year – and more, if possible.
The second point: the law has to be consistently enforced on the housing market. There are plenty of legal regulations, but they often go unenforced, which is why many landlords ignore them. We're going to introduce a rent registry that creates maximum transparency in Berlin's housing market. And we're going to turn the existing rent-price review office into a real rent oversight body that steps in and supports tenants against landlords.

Dmitry Vachedin:
I have a few more questions about possible coalitions. Many people say: if you vote for the SPD today, you're buying a pig in a poke – in the end, you don't know what coalition you'll get.

Steffen Krach:
I can answer that very clearly: whoever votes for the SPD gets me as Governing Mayor. That's the decisive question of this election. I currently know hardly anyone who thinks Kai Wegner is a good Governing Mayor. Whoever wants an alternative can vote SPD. Nobody's buying a pig in a poke here. I've said very clearly what I want to achieve – I don't promise everything, but what I do promise, I'll keep. The decision now lies with the people of Berlin.

Dmitry Vachedin:
Some of my friends still speak fondly of the red-red-green coalition [SPD, Die Linke, Greens]. But will they even get that with you?

Steffen Krach:
Whoever wants red-red-green should absolutely not vote CDU. The alternative to the CDU is the SPD. That said, there are also individual CDU members who do good work. I think Katharina Günther-Wünsch, as education senator, does sensible work in many areas. And the justice senator also does good work in many areas.

Dmitry Vachedin:
And transport senator Ute Bonde?

Steffen Krach:
No. In my view, she's a disaster. You won't hear a single word of praise from me about her. The transport policy she's pursuing goes against what most Berliners want.

Dmitry Vachedin:
So you're not a fan of the maglev train?

Steffen Krach:
You can talk about anything. But not in a situation where we need to be discussing extending the U7 to Spandau toward Heerstraße – and instead someone shows up with a maglev train out of nowhere. That's completely absurd. No, Ute Bonde is definitely not one of the senators whose work I'd rate positively.
In the end, though, everything comes down to the person in the Rotes Rathaus. That person sets the political direction, represents Berlin to the federal government, and shapes how the city is perceived publicly. Kai Wegner plays practically no role at the federal level – he's barely noticed there, sometimes even ignored. That's a problem for the capital. Berlin needs a new Governing Mayor.

The interview was translated from Russian into English.