There is one unwritten rule in politics: a new government has 100 days to familiarize itself. After that, so the theory goes, they – and each of their new members – may be criticized to their heart’s content. The new Berlin Senate, in office since December 21, has also drawn up a 100-day plan. Each department has neatly written down what it intends to do during this time. The plan may be accurate, ambitious, balanced. But it is waste paper, overtaken by the brutal reality.
For the past two weeks, this reality has been called the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The result is not only endless destruction, suffering and death in the war zones, but also a wave of refugees of unprecedented proportions for Berlin – bigger and faster than at any time since the Second World War.
So far, the Senate has relied (far too) heavily on the overwhelming willingness to help of Berliners. It took (far too) long until a Senate tent was set up at the main station. Until then, it was almost exclusively volunteers who welcomed people after days on the run – with warm blankets, food and words.
Don’t get me wrong: no administration can perfectly handle the arrival of more than 10,000 people a day. But she absolutely has to try, otherwise this wave of refugees could also claim political victims. Social Senator Katja Kipping in particular needs to be warned: one of her predecessors, Mario Czaja, failed to deal with the 2015/16 refugee crisis, when thousands from Syria and Afghanistan sought refuge from the war in Berlin. And Prime Minister Franziska Giffey must not be too sure of her sympathy values.
This crisis is the first serious test for the Senate – three weeks before the 100-day mark is reached.