Berlin has a new government

Iris Spranger (l-r front row, SPD), Berlin Senator for the Interior and Sport, Franziska Giffey (SPD), Berlin Senator for Economy, Energy and Business, Kai Wegner (CDU), Governing Mayor of Berlin, Stefan Evers (CDU), Berlin Senator for Finance, Dr. Felor Badenberg (independent), Berlin Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection, Joe Chialo (l-r, back row, CDU), Berlin Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, Dr. Ina Czyborra (SPD), Berlin Senator for Science, Health and Care, Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU), Berlin Senator for Education, Youth and Family, Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD), Berlin Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination, Dr. Manja Schreiner (CDU), Berlin Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, and Christian Gaebler (SPD), Berlin Senator for Urban Development, Building and Housing, stand on the steps in the Red Town Hall as the new senators.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives elected Kai Wegner as the new Governing Mayor. After being sworn in at the House of Representatives, Wegner came to the Red Town Hall and took over his new seat from his predecessor, Franziska Giffey. He then appointed the new Berlin senators.

This is how the new Berlin Senate is constituted:

• Franziska Giffey (Mayor and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Industry - SPD)
• Stefan Evers (Senator for Finance - CDU)
• Iris Spranger (Senator for the Interior and Sport - SPD)
• Dr. Manja Schreiner (Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment - CDU)
• Cansel Kiziltepe (Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Equality, Integration, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination - SPD)
• Katharine Günther-Wünsch (Senator for Education, Youth and Family - CDU)
• Dr. Ina Czyborra (Senator for Science, Health and Care - SPD)
• Joe Chialo (Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion - CDU)
• Christian Gaebler (Senator for Urban Development, Building and Housing - SPD)
• Dr. Felor Badenberg (Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection - independent)

Together, the Senate is planning a new dawn for the city that focuses on the concerns of its citizens and makes Berlin work a little better every day. The new government will work at all levels to strengthen diversity, cohesion and community. At the same time, the Senate wants to ensure that the city's innovative economic appeal is combined with its claim to be a sustainable metropolis.

One key issue will be the modernisation and digitalisation of the administration. Berlin needs a forward-looking and service-oriented administration that responds to the needs of Berliners and is crisis-proof. Therefore, the government wants to quickly push ahead with the necessary and fundamental reform of the administration.

In the area of transport, local public transport will be expanded and strengthened. The mobility turnaround takes into account all transport users on an equal footing. Berlin will only remain attractive and mobile if all citizens are included, regardless of where they live.

One of the major social challenges in Berlin is affordable housing. In the future, tenant protection and new construction will be considered together here, as well as sustainable construction and debureaucratisation, in order to increase the dynamics of housing construction.

In order to strengthen climate protection, resilience and transformation at all levels, the Senate wants to raise a special fund totalling 10 billion euros over the coming years. This is intended to advance both the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings and the renewable energy supply, as well as to enable the necessary sustainable transformation in the economic and transport sectors.

Security is the basis for diversity and community in Berlin. The Senate therefore wants to further strengthen the law enforcement and security authorities. Among other things, this will be done by increasing the number of police and firefighters by up to 1,000 and by improving the technical equipment (body cams, tasers).

With the start of the government's work, the Senate will jointly define the exact government guidelines for the next few years in order to implement the specifications set out in the coalition agreement as quickly as possible. So that Berlin, as a cosmopolitan metropolis and significant business location, dares to set out together.