In the most recent federal election, Stephan Pilsinger narrowly defended his direct mandate. The CSU politician spoke to t-online about the housing shortage in Munich and countermeasures.

Mr. Pilsinger, what lessons does the Munich CSU draw from the federal election in 2021?

Stephan Pilsinger: The main lesson is that we shouldn’t give too much to surveys. We were written off in surveys like “election.de” in almost all constituencies. But we did not give up, we waged an intensive election campaign. Through this committed election campaign, we were able to win at least three out of four direct mandates in the end.

Wasn’t the result disappointing? They had a wafer-thin 0.1 percent lead over Green candidate Dieter Janecek. And in the second vote, the Greens (26.0 percent) overtook the CSU (23.8 percent) in Munich.

I ran as a candidate in a green stronghold. In the surveys, I was sometimes eight percentage points behind the Green applicant. I therefore rate my personal result as a success. Nevertheless, intensive discussions are needed for a new orientation in terms of content and personnel for the Union.

CSU politician Stephan Pilsinger: In 2017 he moved to the Bundestag for the first time for his party. In the most recent election he defended his direct mandate. (Source: Timo Hänseler)

Has the CSU neglected human-related issues for too long? Keyword affordable living space, keyword daycare centers?

You have to be honest: In federal elections, mainly federal political issues and the federal trend are decisive. I also think that the controversial candidate question had a negative effect on our election campaign.

What about the Munich perspective?

The most important thing is that we as the CSU in Munich have to attract new groups of voters. For this, the social question must be brought more into focus on our part.

If you look at the orientation of the Greens and the SPD in Munich, you see: The Greens want to be young and urban, the SPD now also wants to be young and urban. But: who is then the party that takes care of the issues that work hard every day and can still afford Munich?

Stephan Pilsinger, born in 1987, is a member of the Bundestag for the constituency of Munich center / west. In 2017, the doctor moved in for the first time for the CSU in parliament, in the most recent election he defended his direct mandate 0.1 percent ahead of the Green candidate Dieter Janecek. Because of his professional background, Pilsinger is a member of the Health Committee, among other things.

You mean the bus driver or the cashier?

Exactly. So far, the so-called little people in Munich have hardly been addressed by the other parties. The data suggests that the Greens in Munich are mainly elected by the higher-income earners. The SPD is now trying to emulate the Greens thematically. That is why it is important for the future CSU to put people with small and medium-sized income at the center of its politics.

What will the CSU do specifically for the common people?

For example, we currently have to create social compensation for rising energy prices. The solution to the climate crisis is indisputably important.

But?

It cannot be that people with lower incomes in particular die disproportionately and have to pay the bill for it. In Munich in particular, they are already severely affected by high rents. We must not burden them with additional costs. To tell these people that you are no longer allowed to heat, you have to dress warmly, I consider inhuman.

Keyword rents: The Greens accuse the CSU of having sold thousands of cooperative apartments in Munich to private investors under the then Finance Minister Markus Söder.

It’s about apartments that were formerly owned by the Bayerische Landesbank. These apartments will then remain sold due to an EU subsidy proceeding. Markus Söder also offered the apartments to the municipalities for sale. At that time the SPD and the Greens were already ruling, the SPD has ruled Munich continuously for almost 50 years.

The state capital has refused the purchase. Since housing in particular is a municipal task, it is wrong to always point your finger at others. You should make constructive suggestions for solving the problem.

For example? Jamila Schäfer, who won the direct mandate for the Greens in the south, wants to campaign for state subsidies in the Bundestag.

We need to start building housing. This includes building higher in some places in Munich. The height does not always have to be over 100 meters, but in new development areas two to three floors more should usually be built to create living space.

Nevertheless, I am convinced that no city can grow indefinitely. Munich is one of the most densely populated cities in Germany. We should only actively establish new jobs if we can ensure that sufficient infrastructure and housing are available. Public transport is already reaching its limits.

Do you want to slow down the influx?

In parts of Germany there are only vacant apartments, in Munich far too few. We have to discuss whether it wouldn’t make more sense to advance digitization in such a way that people can live elsewhere, even if they work in Munich. And not that they necessarily have to move to Munich for work.

Surveys by the city indicate that there will be another quarter of a million inhabitants by 2040. Almost 1.6 million people currently live in the Isar metropolis.

The massive densification is already having a negative impact on the quality of life in this city. Corona has changed a lot. Home office and remote will change the world of work. For example, I have friends who come from the Bavarian Forest who say that they would like to stay in their home country. But due to the professional perspective, that has not been possible so far. Much will change in the future as a result of digitization. But one thing is certain. Nothing can grow forever, not even Munich.