German officials have proposed establishing a federal state‑run housing company, a move that has met with criticism from the CDU. Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) and Federal Construction Minister Verena Hubertz (SPD) are behind the idea.
CDU spokesperson for Housing and Construction, Jan‑Marco Luczak, told the “Rheinische Post”‘s Friday edition that he is skeptical about a state‑run housing company. “Creating a new structure costs time and money. A state housing company would face the same structural problems as private developers and the many state‑owned housing companies” he said. Luczak added that construction in Germany is too expensive and too slow. “We are too sluggish and our standards too high. We must act if housing is to remain affordable” he cautioned. He urged all political effort to reduce building costs permanently-across all projects-using solutions such as building type E.
Hubertz publicly backed the federal housing company on Thursday, following Vice‑Chancellor Klingbeil’s endorsement of the proposal the previous day.
