No unnecessary regulations
Scholz insists on simplified construction for affordable housing
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In 2023, almost 295,000 new apartments will be built in Germany. But Chancellor Scholz doesn't want to rest on his laurels, but is calling for more growth. He already has an idea of how this can be implemented.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to create more affordable housing in Germany with faster and easier construction. It's about modernizing Germany and at the same time creating more affordable housing so that cities and villages remain more affordable and worth living in, as he said at the German Construction Industry Day. Scholz also reiterated that Germany needs 400,000 new apartments every year, even if this is a major challenge even under normal conditions. In view of the current crises and the explosion in energy and construction prices, it has become more difficult than originally thought to achieve the federal government's goal, said the Chancellor.
“But because it's so difficult now, we can't rest on the almost 300,000 apartments we've achieved, but we have to say: There has to be some growth,” he said at the German Construction Industry Day. “We will not stop setting ambitious goals.” With a view to the high prices for apartments, especially in metropolitan areas, Scholz said that new construction of affordable apartments must be promoted on a large scale. This is also about avoiding unnecessary regulations.
Need for modernization
“I don’t want conditions in Germany where first residents with low incomes and then increasingly women and men with middle incomes are literally pushed out of the cities,” said Scholz. The federal government wants to speed up the new construction. The coalition will therefore introduce a comprehensive amendment to the building code this year, which will, among other things, simplify and accelerate building planning and housing construction and facilitate the expansion of energy supply.
Scholz also acknowledged that Germany needs to modernize overall. It is good news that Germany is growing. “And we are on the way to becoming climate neutral and remaining a successful and livable industrial country. That is also positive,” said Scholz. However, years of managing the current situation are no longer enough. What is necessary, however, is an expansion of the infrastructure, more apartments, more speed, more investments and more courage and an attitude of just doing it. The state and private sector should work together here, said Scholz.
