Citizens are calling for more hearing: strong growth of the petitions in Berlin!
Citizens are calling for more hearing: strong growth of the petitions in Berlin!
In 2024, the Petitions Committee of the Berlin House of Representatives with a total of 1,610 entries from citizens experienced a significant increase in almost 20 percent compared to the previous year. These numbers not only prove the lively interest of the population, but also the trust in the parliamentary institutions. In this context, the committee chairman Maik Penn (CDU) emphasized that the increased number of concerns has also increased by about 20 percent, of which 37 percent of the petitions were done positively, be it completely or in part. In 33 percent of the cases, the population received at least one information, while 20 percent was not possible at 20 percent, such as [rbb24] (https://www.rbb24.de/politik/biebtrag/2025/06/berlin-petitions Committee-PlaTenhaus-belanz-aufsteitrecht.html).
It was particularly striking that 344 of the petitions dealt with questions of the right of residence, which constitutes 20 percent of the total input. Other topics represented social issues (172 petitions), naturalization (162) and road topics (155). The increasing concerns show that many citizens are dissatisfied with the reactions of the authorities, which often only give a feeder than feedback. The Petitions Committee has therefore established itself as a central point of contact in order to accept this dissatisfaction and seek solutions.
more support required
In view of the increasing number of cases, more money is also required for additional staff in the next double budget in order to meet the requirements. For the upcoming report, it is also planned to examine which Senate administrations or district offices work well or badly with the committee. The ruling mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, sees the citizen participation an important basis for functioning democracy and effective administration.The population of Berlin is currently around 3,677,472, of which around 2,800,000 are entitled to vote. A contact address for petitions is the Berlin House of Representatives, Petitions Committee, Niederkirchnerstr. 5, 10117 Berlin, such as Openpetition. The strengthening of citizen participation and hearing for the concerns of the citizens are the focus of the work of the committee.
political participation in Germany
The importance of petitions and citizens' concerns is also discussed in the wheat tree report, which appears annually and examines various forms of political participation in Germany. The report is based on population -representative surveys of the wheat tree panel and analyzes the development of political participation under the conditions of digitization. In particular, the role of digital media for political action and the effects of social inequality on participation are emphasized in the fourth wave of the report from 2022, as Weizenbaum-library.
It remains crucial for the Berlin citizens that their concerns are heard and the petition committee plays an important role in this. In view of the increasing entries, it will be necessary to further expand the structures and to improve contact with the authorities.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Ort | Niederkirchnerstr. 5, 10117 Berlin, Deutschland |
| Quellen | |