Berlin 2026

Berlin votes on 20 September 2026

Compare how parties stand on climate, transport, and the city — in one table.

Abgeordnetenhaus election · 20 September 2026

Über uns

Berlin votes on 20 September 2026

Every 5 years Berlin votes for a new parliament that will shape the city's policies.

Accessibility and Language

About 16% of German citizens in Berlin have a migration background. Election programs are only published in German and can run up to 200 pages. That's a hard read even for native speakers. Wahl-O-Mat helps, but it's not built to go deep.

Clarity and Substance

Much of the 200 pages is rhetoric, hard to translate into anything concrete. We wanted tangible answers separating commitments tied to numbers from general statements of intent.

What we did

We compared the positions of 10 Berlin parties against key points across transport and urban spaces, climate and energy — and turned their programs into one side-by-side table focused on eco topics.

Before you vote

The table is made with the help of AI, and we recommend double-checking important information: full translations of the main parties' programs are published on BerlinVote.Help.

This project is not campaign material and is not affiliated with any party.

Party comparison

Climate, transport, cleanliness, energy, nature, and animals. Stance markers: for, against, mixed / unclear, or not found.

For / supportiveAgainst / opposingMixed / qualified / unclearNot found in excerpts

Parties to compare(4 selected)

Showing selected parties only — add more with the chips above.

  • no explicit target; focus on an “efficient and affordable” climate policy, decarbonizing district heating and energy grids, but oppose strict obligations and shutting down the gas network

  • climate-neutral Berlin by 2045; implement the Berlin Energy Transition Act; “Out of oil and gas. Into sun, wind, and other renewables”

  • Grüne
    Party program

    goal: climate-neutral Berlin by 2040; climate check for laws and measures; implement the Berlin Climate Protection Act, with mandatory action programs if targets are missed

  • climate-neutral Berlin no later than 2040; anchor a CO₂ budget and climate safeguard; sector budgets for energy, transport, buildings, and the economy

Reading the table

What almost everyone has

Trees and the “sponge city” have become almost a consensus

Almost all parties, in one way or another, talk about more trees, care for green spaces, rainwater retention, unsealing surfaces, and greening roofs/facades/courtyards. The difference is not whether trees are needed, but scale, binding force, and funding.

Everyone wants to expand public transport

Even parties with a more pro-car agenda support expanding U-Bahn/S-Bahn/tram/regional rail. The divide is more about priorities: for some it is part of the transport transition, for others a way to relieve roads and outer districts without restricting cars.

BSR and waste are a shared urban concern

Almost everyone promises more cleaning, more frequent BSR neighborhood collection days, better bulky-waste pickup, and more containers/bins/drop-off points. But approaches differ: how often bulky waste is collected and who pays for it; initiatives range from zero waste, repair and reuse to fines, video surveillance, and “waste sheriffs.”

Solar energy is almost a shared baseline

Almost everyone recognizes PV as important, but they differ on obligations: CDU/FDP/AfD oppose mandatory installation; Greens/Volt/Animal Protection Party/ÖDP propose more active expansion on public buildings, parking lots, facades, etc.

Where the main divides are

A100 and new roads are one of the clearest dividing lines

CDU/FDP/AfD/BSW support continuing the A100 or other major new road projects. SPD/Linke/Greens/Animal Protection Party oppose continuing the A100; ÖDP also leans toward reducing car traffic and environmentally assessing projects.

Tempelhofer Feld — a conflict over development

CDU and FDP support development along the edges of the field, with FDP proposing to start without a new vote. SPD, Linke, Greens, and ÖDP emphasize preserving the field and respecting the referendum; ÖDP offers a compromise on the airport building. Volt sidesteps housing and proposes agrivoltaics and mobile energy storage.

Parking: “keep/restore” vs “redistribute space”

CDU, FDP, AfD, and BSW talk about preserving parking spaces, P+R, neighborhood garages, or opposing the “unnecessary destruction of parking.” Greens, Linke, Volt, and the Animal Protection Party talk more about paid/digital parking, reducing spaces for sidewalks, bike lanes and greenery, and fees based on vehicle size/emissions.

The gas network and hydrogen are not just a technical dispute, but a political line

CDU/BSW/AfD cling more strongly to gas infrastructure or the idea of “reliable alternatives first.” SPD/Linke/Greens/Volt/Animal Protection Party talk about phasing out oil and gas, with Greens and the Animal Protection Party explicitly warning that hydrogen must not become an excuse for keeping gas heating.

Climate neutrality: many have the goal, but differ on how binding it is

SPD, Linke, Greens, Volt, Animal Protection Party, and ÖDP formulate climate neutrality as a goal. CDU and FDP frame it more through “affordability,” “innovation,” and “technology openness.” AfD wants to repeal the Berlin Climate Law; BSW criticizes targets and the CO₂ tax.

Party-specific features

AfD

The only one of the reviewed programs explicitly in favor of bringing back nuclear energy; plus repealing the Berlin Climate Law, cheap resident parking, restoring parking spaces, video surveillance, and “waste sheriffs.”

FDP

Surprisingly friendly to alternatives to cars: protected bike lanes where routes cannot go through quiet streets, bike streets parallel to arterial roads, P&R hubs, charging, geothermal energy, smart heating grids, and rainwater as a resource. At the same time, they strongly support the A100, new roads, Tempo 50 on key arterial roads, and oppose mandatory solar installation.

BSW

An interesting mix: for the A100 and against “activism” for climate targets, yet with a lot about BSR, free bulky-waste pickup, district cleaning teams, trees, the sponge city, and coordination of infrastructure projects.

Volt

A very “techno-urban” program: Berlin-Pay + Kehrenbürger, bidirectional charging, U-Bahn automation, dynamic tariffs, smart grids, Park&Ride, digital parking by size and emissions, and green-blue infrastructure.

Animal Protection Party

Not only about animals: one of the most detailed environmental programs — Zero Waste, 365 km of bike lanes per year, heating fully from renewables by 2035, 8 wind-energy sites, mandatory rainwater concepts, and heat protection that even includes free vegan sunscreen.

ÖDP

More ecological principledness: preserve Tempelhofer Feld entirely, coal phase-out by 2030, less car traffic, protection of trees/hedges/water bodies as habitat, and a ban on animal testing.

Greens

The most systematic climate logic: climate checks, mandatory action programs when targets are missed, decarbonization of heating, criticism of the gas network, sponge city, Zero Waste, protected bike lanes, and heat protection.

CDU

Not “anti-environment,” but rather environmentalism without strict obligations: 1 million trees, rainwater, PV on large roofs, heating grids, charging — but also against solar obligations, against shutting down the gas network, and in favor of the A100, roads, and preserving parking.

SPD

A lot of “urban services”: BSR, free bulky-waste pickup twice a year, trees, mini-parks, drinking fountains, repairing bridges/streets instead of extending the A100, plus a moderately climate-oriented line: “out of oil and gas.”

Die Linke

Social climate policy: climate neutrality by 2040, a CO₂ budget and sector targets, with emphasis that the transport transition, heating transition, and renovation should not hit people on low incomes.