Overview
- The binding vote on October 12 will decide whether Hamburg authorizes a three‑year, scientifically evaluated basic‑income model trial.
- Approval requires roughly 265,000 yes votes, after which the law would take effect and the state would have up to two years to select a research partner and begin implementation.
- The proposal tests multiple unconditional basic‑income variants with 2,000 residents from 2027, with an initiative‑estimated budget of about €50 million.
- Major donations come from Haleakala‑Stiftung, the US‑based Eutopia Foundation, and the dm‑Werner‑Stiftung, whose contributions total roughly €680,000, with additional large support including €65,000 from Trivago founder Rolf Schrömgens.
- Party positions are sharply split: SPD and Greens urge rejection, the CDU warns against the project, the Senate opposes it, the Left backs it, and the AfD also criticizes it, while a fresh debate highlights Hamburg’s light rules on private and foreign financing of initiatives.