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Berlin Parties Strike Deal With Citizens’ Initiative on Law to Plant 700,000 Street Trees

Negotiators cut earlier cost estimates to roughly €3–3.2 billion by favoring sidewalk plantings and other lower‑cost methods.

Overview

  • CDU, SPD and the BaumEntscheid initiative unveiled a joint draft that shifts the citizen referendum off the agenda.
  • The Hauptausschuss was set to take up the draft Friday evening, with a final Abgeordnetenhaus vote scheduled for November 3.
  • The plan targets about 700,000 new trees over roughly 15 years, largely on the street‑facing edge of sidewalks.
  • A scientific advisory board will replace the initiative’s proposed Kontrollrat to monitor and advise on implementation.
  • Operational responsibility is left open for the Senate to assign, and lawmakers flagged near‑term tens of millions in city funds with possible support from a federal special fund.