Berlin's 'Tree Decision' Vote Postponed Amid Criticism and Threat of Referendum

Critics slam delay in 'Tree Decision' vote. Referendum on the cards if bill isn't passed today.

, and Administrator

2025 October 17 . 6:04 PM

1 min read

In the image we can see there are buses parked on the road and behind there are trees.

Berlin's 'Tree Decision' Vote Postponed Amid Criticism and Threat of Referendum

The Berlin House of Representatives has postponed its vote on the 'Tree Decision' bill, originally scheduled for around 10 am today. The delay has drawn criticism from Green MP Benedikt Lux, who argues that negotiations are still focused on the location of additional street trees, despite initial agreements on minor details.

The postponement comes after the coalition factions confirmed last week their readiness to adopt the bill 'in all essential points' during a main committee hearing. However, the state constitution requires that a takeover of the initiative's bill must be accepted by the House of Representatives 'in its essential content unchanged'.

The SPD faction's spokeswoman for environmental policy, Linda Vierecke, has stated that they will review the bill's text again. As of the morning, no specific improvements regarding additional street trees have been made public. If the House of Representatives does not adopt the tree decision draft, the initiative 'Tree Decision Berlin' has threatened to collect signatures for a referendum, which will take place parallel to the House of Representatives election on September 20, 2026.

The tree decision takeover by the Berlin House of Representatives is now set for later this afternoon. The outcome will determine whether the initiative moves forward with a referendum or if the bill is adopted as is, with potential changes to be reviewed by the SPD faction.