Berlin The Federal Agency for Real Estate (Bima) is one of the largest property owners in Germany. According to its own statements, it owns around 500,000 hectares of land and around 39,000 apartments. It also manages around 26,000 properties, i.e. ministry buildings and other public buildings.
And it will stay that way in the long run. This emerges from the response of the federal government to a small question from the Union faction, which is available exclusively to the Handelsblatt.
When asked whether the federal government plans to transfer the Bima from the business area of the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) to the business area of the new Federal Ministry of Building (BMWSB), it says: “The Bima remains assigned to the business area of the BMF.”
For Geywitz, this complicates the situation – in addition to supply bottlenecks and rapidly increasing prices for building materials and energy. Because the Federal Minister of Building should implement one of the central promises of the traffic light coalition: create 400,000 new apartments per year, 100,000 of them social housing.
For the foreseeable future, Geywitz will not have direct access to the bimah
The bimah could play a key role in this. Because the Federal Agency is according to its own information “In addition to the new building and the maintenance of the existing stock” also “responsible for the utilization of superfluous properties”.
It could therefore act as a strong federal construction and federal housing company and also influence the housing market through property sales. But Geywitz does not have direct access for the foreseeable future.
The CDU member of the Bundestag Mechthild Heil told the Handelsblatt: “This also shows that the new Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building is apparently just a pretty label.”
In reality, other federal ministries are responsible for important areas of building policy. Just as the Bima is located at Lindner, the right to rent, for example, lies with Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP).
Federal construction falls within the purview of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). And it will stay that way in the long run.
(Photo: dpa)
The Federal Government’s answer to the small question from the Union faction also states that “a fundamental structural and procedural reorganization in federal construction” is required. It is important to quickly simplify procedures and structures and make them more efficient and to reduce the number of process steps.
This also requires a realignment of the bima beyond federal construction: the authority should be given more “freedom” “so that it can build more quickly itself as part of its tasks”.
The SPD, Greens and FDP had already agreed in their coalition agreement to “concentrate” the “responsibility for the planning, construction and operation of federal buildings and federal properties” with the Bima. You should also be able to take out loans so that you can “invest and build yourself and continue to support municipal construction” in the future.
It is unclear what role the BBR is to play
The question remains as to what role the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) should play in the future. So far, the authority has primarily been responsible for carrying out federal construction matters. Geywitz is responsible for technical supervision here.
The 27-page reply from the federal government now shows that it is not quite clear what will become of the BBR. State Secretary for Construction Sören Bartol (SPD) confesses in the letter that due to the ongoing reform process, it is not possible to state which of the major construction projects are currently being managed by the BBR and which by the Bima.
According to government information, the finance and building ministries started the “Reform Federal Building” project at the beginning of March: Bima boss Christoph Krupp and BBR President Petra Wesseler are to present a reform concept that is to be implemented this year.
CDU politician Heil warns: “If the traffic light coalition hands over responsibility for the construction of new federal buildings completely to the Bima, the Federal Ministry of Finance will be responsible for the new construction of the federal government.”
According to Heil, the BBR as a subordinate authority of the Ministry of Construction would thus become a pure “junior partner” of Bima and the Ministry of Finance – and that with an authority of 1500 employees.
Geywitz could be blamed for someone else’s mistakes
According to the Federal Government, there will be “enormous challenges” in federal construction in the next few years: “The reduction in the renovation backlog, urgently needed additional structural infrastructure for new and additional tasks and in particular the upcoming energy-related renovation of the federal building stock require a very significant increase in investments in federal construction .” This can only be achieved and implemented if the previous project preparation, planning and construction times are significantly reduced.
With a view to the guidelines for the implementation of federal construction tasks, IT, controlling and risk management, there should be a uniform approach by Bima and BBR in the future.
One of the key promises made by the traffic light coalition is that 400,000 new homes will be built each year, 100,000 of them social housing.
(Photo: dpa)
CDU politician Heil says: “In the end, Minister Geywitz will be held responsible by the public for the failures of the federal government in the area of housing and construction, which are unfortunately already foreseeable.” The actual mistakes often came from other ministries with less specialist expertise in this area Area.
A glimmer of hope for the Federal Minister of Construction could be that Bima boss Krupp is a confidant of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). As first mayor in Hamburg, Scholz made Krupp head of the state chancellery, and later as federal finance minister to Bima boss.
More: Building material prices are rising drastically – NRW building minister Scharrenbach calls for the cartel office.