German government still in Bonn. When will they move (and cut costs)?

The social democratic party (SPD) is claiming a final date when the rest of the government will move from Bonn to Berlin. It sounds impossible to understand why 20 years after the fall of the wall, in the 20th year of reunification there are as many civil servants and government employees in Berlin as in Bonn. Does the German population actually know? Apparently not. The subject came up when somebody in the Bundestag had a closer look on the list of government spending.

Berlin: Airport fees will be decisive for the success of new airport

According to Mr. Hunold, CEO of AirBerlin - Germany's Nr. 2 airline - the new airport BBI should not charge more than what they are paying now. A big increase would not be affordable for the airlines and Berlin would be the only location where AirBerlin is actually growing. He adds that the fees for airlines will directly influence the success of the multi-billion-euro investment.

The airport company offered the airlines to work together on the new fee structure. It is less a question of cost than of politics. The region itself still does not produce a big demand, but foreign tourists love Berlin and are the most important factor behind the growth of AirBerlin. The location of Berlin is for Hunold perfect when it comes to route air traffic from the South or the East and North-East.

Berlin: District fights with snowballs

Berlin is the capital of pacifists. Nowhere else so many people go on the street to show their opinion. But what is this here??? It is known that once per year Kreuzbergers and Friedrichhainers (actually one district, formerly east and west) meet on the Oberbaum bridge to through tomatos at each other. No wonder that they got new ideas during this long winter with massive snow.

This really interesting article can be read here: 

Schneeballschlacht: Kreuzberg vs Neukölln from Adrian Pohr on Vimeo.

Lufthansa: BBI airport will not be our new hub / Still no solution for private jets

After asking yesterday "What will happen to Tegel Airport" , I saw another press release on the matter today. The supporters of the new airport BBI (Berlin-Brandenburg-International in Schönefeld, great Berlin area) are dreaming of an international hub, but Lufthansa made it very clear yesterday morning during a breakfast meeting of the chamber of commerce: they are delighted to expand their business at the new airport, but do not even think about using BBI as a new hub. There would be already Frankfurt and Munich, two economically powerful cities where the investment produces a return. Lufthansa say that at the moment Berlin is quite far away from a similar position.

Berlin: What will happen to Tegel Aiport when BBI opens in 2011?

Berliners remember very well when end of 2008 the last plane departed from Tempelhof airport. The idea is to make the new international (and former Eastern-Berliner airport) Schönefeld the sole commercial airport of Berlin. Tegel is still open, but Schönefeld is scheduled already for October 2011. What then? Another airport closing without concept for the time after? Another Tempelhof-like disaster?

International Cost of Living Index Rank 2010

Author: Steven Coleman

The January 2010 International Cost of Living Ranking covers 276 global locations across the world.

We have reported the 10 most expensive countries to live in, the 10 fastest movers up and down in ranking and the 10 most expensive locations per basket item.

Tokyo is still the most expensive place for an expatriate to live with the highest overall cost of living index while Tianjin in China takes over from Zimbabwe with the lowest cost of living index.

The 10 most expensive ranked international cost of living locations as at January 2010, together with the previous Quarter's rank as at October 2009, is as follows:

Bauhaus History - A Short Overview

I recently visited Tel Aviv since it is said to be the world largest collection of Bauhaus architeture. Once I had arrived, I had to realise that many buildings were not Bauhaus at all, though very beautiful. There are many buildings built from 1900 to 1940 that combine many different styles. It was evident that those were not Bauhaus. I always thought I knew how to recognize a Bauhaus building. But suddenly I got doubts.

It is definitely easier to recognize a Bauhaus building if you know the philosophy behind Bauhaus. Let's have a quick look at Bauhaus history.

CB Richard Ellis 2009 review and 2010 outlook for commmercial real estate in Europe (EU)

Published on 23 December 2009 by Europe Real Estate

Key commentary from CBRE’s forthcoming report – After the Storm: Where Next for European Property? The economic aftermath of the collapse of Lehman in September 2008 has been well documented and continues to unfold. Against a background of extreme uncertainty, investment decisions froze and most of the world’s major economies entered recession. Unemployment has risen sharply across Europe and is still rising; stock markets, asset prices and business and consumer confidence tumbled, and even now the flow of credit to businesses remains patchy.

Read more here

German Apartment portfolios: Transaction volume topped €3bn in 2009

The trade in German apartment portfolios is revving up again: a market report put out by Savills states that packages exchanged briskly in 2009, particularly in the second half. Accordingly, a total of 107 portfolios with some 56,000 residential units switched owners in 2009, 68 of them during the second half of the year. The transaction volume for the entire year is estimated at €3.2bn.

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