How selected European countries organise their essential services

Spain, Germany, Austria and France compared, from housing and energy to health and education. Countercurrent also shows which legal routes to participation exist in modern democracies: referendums, cooperatives, citizens' assemblies. Every figure with a source, every checkpoint with a date.

Instead of polemics, we show interests, power relations and who gains or pays, with sources. The verdict is yours.

Octagram

The eight areas of essential services compared, and how they relate to real income

For eight areas, from housing and energy to water, the Octagram shows how much is secured publicly, cooperatively or by enforceable right. The further out a country's line runs, the less access depends on income. Alongside: how real disposable household income per head has developed since 2008. Octagram: editorial assessment in four levels, not a measurement. Income: official statistics (Eurostat).

Household purchasing power in Germany since 2008: +19.9% real per head (EU-27: +16.5%) · Eurostat, provisional

Countercurrent reading (our own position): where fewer essential services are secured and incomes have barely grown, households feel price rises most.

Tap an area to open its dossier.

Editorial assessment · As of 13 Oct 2026 · not a measurement. An indicator-based methodology with a source for every value is in preparation.

Practice & Tools

🧭 Taking part locally

Self-test for your municipality, a trial vote and the rent radar: who owns the homes.

Explore practice tools → Historical Dossiers

🏛️ Real Labs & Living Cases

Paris 1871, Aragon 1936, Cybersyn 1971, and ongoing European test cases (Berlin, Madrid, EU ECI).

View comparison matrix & dossiers → Theory & AI

🧠 Theory: Mark Fisher and the question of alternatives

Capitalist realism explained simply, AI and power over computing capacity, Fisher library.

Read theoretical analysis →

Status Quo: European flashpoints

Weekly observation: where essential services are contested, who gains and who bears the costs

📅 31 Oct 2026

Spain: Housing decrees fail in parliament, reissued via Standing Committee – new election on 29 Nov

Positions according to the sources

Sánchez government (PSOE), coalition partner Sumar, Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez: By decree, evictions of vulnerable households are to be suspended until 31 Dec 2030, the purchase of housing by investment funds limited until 31 Dec 2028, and rental contracts extended. Sánchez calls the election a decision on social justice; Sumar minister Bustinduy speaks of a “referendum on housing policy”. Underlying values: Housing as a basic need and social right, tenant protection, social obligation of housingmoncloa.com 1 ad-hoc-news.de
People's Party (PP) under Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Vox: The PP and Vox voted against both decrees. After the vote, Feijóo called for a swift new election and said Sánchez has neither the street nor parliament behind him. Underlying values: Opposition to the government; the sources reviewed do not give a housing-policy rationale of their own.aljazeera.com
Junts per Catalunya (Catalan party, seven deputies): Junts voted against both decrees, citing a possible decline in housing supply. Even the minister's offer to rework the texts as a bill did not change the vote. The party calls the package only a temporary solution. Underlying values: Expanding supply, responsibility of the regions, bargaining power vis-à-vis the central governmentusnews.com catalannews.com russpain.com
Basque Nationalist Party PNV (spokesperson Maribel Vaquero): In the Standing Committee, the PNV backs the first decree (eviction stop, fund limits) and rejects the second (automatic contract extension). At the same time, it calls for more comprehensive measures and more housing construction. Underlying values: Protecting the vulnerable while expanding supply, negotiated compromisemoncloa.com 2 moncloa.com 1

Who gains, who bears the costs

If the decrees (eviction stop until 2030, fund limits until 2028) remain in force

gains

Tenant households, especially those with low incomes: Vulnerable tenants without an alternative home are not evicted until 31 Dec 2030. According to the Spanish government, 26% of tenants spend on average 40% of their income on rent and utilities (EU average: 18% of tenants) pbs.org

bears the costs

Landlords and investment funds: Evictions are suspended and the purchase of housing by funds is limited until 31 Dec 2028; opponents expect a shrinking supply of rental housing. Scale not documented

If the decrees fail and the housing market is steered through expanding supply

gains

Owners, landlords and the construction industry: No new restrictions on eviction, sale and letting; according to the argument of Junts, supply thereby increases. Scale not documented

bears the costs

Tenant households with expiring contracts and households threatened with eviction: The eviction stop and the planned contract extension for contracts expiring by the end of 2028 fall away. Scale not documented

Countercurrent reading (our own position): For households whose housing depends on their income, a single regional party in Spain is currently deciding on eviction protection, and on 29 Nov voters will in effect vote on the direction. Whether regulation actually reduces supply remains disputed among the parties and is not substantiated in the sources reviewed; what is substantiated is that the rent burden in Spain is above the EU average.

Background: starting point and why it is stuck

Starting point

On 2 Oct, the Spanish Chamber of Deputies rejected two government housing decrees; among other things, they provided for a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, an extension of the rent cap and stricter rules on short-term rentals. After nationwide protests, Prime Minister Sánchez called a new election for 29 Nov and had the decrees adopted again by the Council of Ministers. According to reports, the Basque PNV is backing the first decree in the Standing Committee (Diputación Permanente), while the second (automatic contract extension) is expected to lack a majority there.

Why it is stuck

In the fragmented parliament, Junts with its seven deputies was decisive: the first decree failed by 178 to 172, the second by 184 to 166 votes. In the 69-member Standing Committee, two blocs face each other with 35 and 34 votes, so the PNV holds the deciding vote. In addition, housing policy lies largely with the regions, several of which are governed by the PP.

Next checkpoint: 29 Nov 2026: early parliamentary election in Spain; beforehand, vote of the Standing Committee on the newly adopted decrees (date not stated in the sources; deadline: 30 days after publication).

Sources: moncloa.com 1 moncloa.com 2 ad-hoc-news.de aljazeera.com usnews.com catalannews.com russpain.com pbs.org

📅 31 Oct 2026

Berlin: EEG 2027 and grid package – dispute over compensation for curtailment and end of support for small solar systems

Positions according to the sources

Federal Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), State Secretary Stefan Rouenhoff (CDU): Reiche justifies the reform with the costs of the overall system, which in her view have gone out of sight, and with high returns on wind and solar projects. Rouenhoff defended both laws in the Bundesrat as a necessary change of course. According to the Federal Government, redispatch interventions cost more than three billion euros in 2025, borne by all electricity consumers. Underlying values: Cost control across the overall system, synchronising expansion and grid build-out, budgetary disciplinephoton.info 1 pv-magazine.de 1 denkstrom.org
SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag (Nina Scheer), Greens, Left Party: Scheer rejects the redispatch reservation and sees contradictions with the coalition agreement in both drafts; she says it leads to planning and investment uncertainty. The Greens tabled their own motions, including a federal-state fund for energy grids instead of burdening plant operators. The Left Party accuses the government of deliberately undermining the economic viability of renewables. Underlying values: Expansion of renewables, planning certainty, public financing of gridszfk.de solarserver.de 1 cleanthinking.de photon.info 1
Renewable energy associations (BSW-Solar, BEE, bne, Bündnis Bürgerenergie), Bundesrat, Schleswig-Holstein's Energy Minister Tobias Goldschmidt (Greens): The Bundesrat called for around 70 amendments. The associations demand that citizen energy be kept attractive, that grid bottlenecks be resolved with storage and flexibility, and that the statutory right to grid connection not be restricted. Goldschmidt called the redispatch reservation “completely wrong and toxic”. At the 5 Oct hearing, experts criticised key points of the draft; the solar industry fears that building owners such as retirees will drop out as buyers of small systems. Underlying values: Investment security, citizen energy and decentralised generation, participation of the statesagrarheute.com pv-magazine.de 2 pv-magazine.de 1 solarserver.de 2

Who gains, who bears the costs

If the redispatch reservation and the end of support for small solar systems come into force as in the government draft

gains

Electricity consumers and the federal budget (according to the government's argument): Compensation payments for curtailed new plants are partly eliminated; the aim is to limit system costs. According to the Federal Government, redispatch interventions cost more than three billion euros in 2025, borne by all electricity consumers denkstrom.org

bears the costs

Operators of new wind and solar plants, citizen energy, building owners with small systems: Higher curtailment and investment risk; the solar industry expects fewer buyers of small rooftop systems. A study by Epico KlimaInnovation expects higher levelised costs of electricity and electricity prices as a result of the grid package. Scale not documented

If the Bundestag deletes or further weakens the redispatch reservation and prioritises grid expansion, storage and flexibility

gains

Operators, citizen energy cooperatives and owners of small systems: Planning certainty regarding compensation and grid connection is preserved. Scale not documented

bears the costs

Electricity consumers via grid charges: Operators have so far been fully reimbursed for curtailed electricity; the costs were passed on through grid charges. According to the Federal Government, redispatch interventions cost more than three billion euros in 2025 denkstrom.org

Countercurrent reading (our own position): For low-income households, two questions are at stake: who bears the curtailment costs via the electricity bill, and who can benefit from decentralised generation, which usually requires owning a roof or a system. The sources document the cost burden of over three billion euros for 2025, but not how the reform affects individual income groups.

Background: starting point and why it is stuck

Starting point

The Federal Cabinet adopted the EEG amendment 2027 and the grid package on 29 Jul; the Bundestag debated them for the first time on 24 Sep, and hearings followed on 5 Oct and 7 Oct. The plans include a redispatch reservation (new wind and solar plants in grid areas designated as capacity-limited do not receive full compensation when curtailed) and the abolition of the fixed feed-in tariff for solar systems from 2027. The second and third readings have been postponed due to differences within the coalition; the EU state-aid approval for key EEG provisions expires at the end of the year.

Why it is stuck

Within the coalition, the CDU/CSU and SPD are in dispute over the redispatch reservation and solar support; the internal timetable for passage in the week of 15 Oct could not be kept. At the same time, the expiry of the EU state-aid approval at the end of the year puts the parliament under time pressure, and the Bundesrat demands extensive changes. The interests of the renewable energy associations are organised and concentrated, while those bearing the costs (electricity customers) are widely dispersed.

Next checkpoint: 9–13 Nov 2026: according to the BEE's expectation, second and third readings of EEG 2027 and the grid package in the Bundestag; then the Bundesrat; 31 Dec 2026: expiry of the EU state-aid approval.

Sources: photon.info 1 pv-magazine.de 1 denkstrom.org zfk.de solarserver.de 1 cleanthinking.de agrarheute.com pv-magazine.de 2 solarserver.de 2 photon.info 2 pv-magazine.de 3 t-online.de 1 t-online.de 2

Taking part locally

Diagnostic tools, consensus building and ownership transparency for municipalities, initiatives and anyone interested

1. Vulnerability:

2. Current Focus:

🎯 Examples from practice & open-source tools:

Example: Polis (pol.is) for building consensus in the neighbourhood. Binding routes for tenancy law and remunicipalisation are citizens' initiatives and referendums at regional or municipal level, where they exist.

“Public Compute Commons: AI data centers must be managed as public commons.”

Consensus Index No votes cast – Choose an option

1. Vote to test the consensus logic locally.
2. Submit your thesis: Propose a concrete lever for the next deliberation cycle.

Thesis proposals by email to deliberation@gegenstrom.eu

💡 Local client preview. No simulated network votes. Collective deliberation follows with live activation.

Monthly net rent (€):

Select market / region:

Austria (Focus Vienna) Spain will follow with verified figures. Germany will follow with verified figures.

ℹ️ Data basis: Ownership structures in AT (City of Vienna / GBV 2024).

Historical Living Labs & Dossiers

From historical laboratory cases to living European test cases

1871 | France

Paris Commune

Elected city council with communal self-government; the Commune declared its office-holders recallable at any time.

What worked (according to the literature): Within a few weeks the Commune issued social and secular decrees; political clubs and associations were very active.
Why it failed (according to the literature): Uprisings in other cities were quickly put down; the isolated city fell to the Versailles army. The Banque de France was left untouched.

Literature: Robert Tombs, The Paris Commune 1871, London: Longman 1999.

1936–1937 | Spain

Catalonia & Aragon

After July 1936, mainly CNT committees took over enterprises in Catalonia; in Aragon, rural collectives emerged.

What worked (according to the literature): Enterprises and supplies kept running under trade-union management; findings on productivity are mixed.
Why it failed (according to the literature): Conflicts within the Republican camp from May 1937 and the Republic's military defeat in 1938/39.

Literature: Walther L. Bernecker, Anarchismus und Bürgerkrieg. Zur Geschichte der Sozialen Revolution in Spanien 1936–1939, Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe 1978 (Spanish edition: Colectividades y revolución social, Barcelona: Crítica 1982).

1971–1973 | Chile

Project Cybersyn

Project Cybersyn (Chile, 1971–1973) linked nationalised and state-administered enterprises to a centre in Santiago via a telex network; an operations room was built as a prototype but never went into regular use.

What worked (according to the literature): During the truckers' strike of October 1972, the government used the telex network to coordinate transport and supplies.
Why it failed (according to the literature): The project depended on the Allende government and was not continued after the 1973 military coup.

Literature: Eden Medina, Cybernetic Revolutionaries. Technology and Politics in Allende's Chile, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press 2011.

2021→2028 | Berlin

Berlin: socialisation of large housing stocks (2021→2028)

2021 referendum “Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen”: 59.1 % of valid votes in favour of a socialisation law under Art. 15 of the Basic Law. After the Berlin state election of 20 Sep 2026, the Left, the Greens and the SPD concluded their exploratory talks on 17 Oct 2026.

Observation: The 2021 referendum was a resolution without the force of law; to this day there is no socialisation law.
Next checkpoint: coalition negotiations. According to the exploratory paper of 17 Oct 2026: a bill by mid-2028, compensation of at most €16 billion, covering private companies with 10,000 or more flats.

Sources: Wahlen Berlin: Volksentscheid „Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen“ 2021, amtliches Ergebnis · bpb: Wahl zum Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin 2026 · t-online: Wohnungs-Vergesellschaftung in Berlin · Mietervereinigung Berlin: Vergesellschaftung in der Sondierung

2024→2026 | Madrid

Madrid / Spain (2024→2026)

On 26 Sep 2026 a protest camp on housing (“Acampada por la Vivienda”) was set up in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, following a large demonstration in which the Sindicato de Inquilinas played a central role; there were rallies in other cities, including Seville.

Observation: The government put forward two housing decrees; Congress rejected both on 2 October 2026. The popular legislative initiative (Art. 87.3 CE) only obliges parliament to consider it, not to pass it.
Review: after the general strike of 11 November 2026 and the general election of 29 November 2026, including how the new majority handles the housing decrees.

As of: 26.10.2026 · El Salto: Convocatoria de elecciones · Diario de León: Cronología del decreto Maricarmen · Infobae: Qué está pasando en Europa: las causas de las protestas … · El País: ¿Dónde y por qué se protesta en Europa? … · orain.eus: Cientos de personas acampan en Sol · Euronews ES: La acampada en Sol entra en su tercer día

Union Level | EU

European Union (ECI)

European Citizens' Initiative (1 million signatures).

Open hypothesis (our own position): Participation without binding consequences can absorb engagement without changing decisions.
Next Check-Point: the Commission's next report on the application of ECI Regulation (EU) 2019/788 (first report: 6 Dec 2023).

Sources: EUR-Lex: Verordnung (EU) 2019/788 über die Europäische Bürgerinitiative · Europäische Kommission: Überprüfung der Europäischen Bürgerinitiative 2023

System / Era	Consensus & Decision	Tech Level	Property Model	Why it failed / Open hypothesis	Countercurrent's assessment / Next checkpoint
Historical cases: what worked and why it failed
Paris Commune (1871)	Elected council, majority vote; office-holders declared recallable	Newspapers, posters, assemblies; barricades for defence	Decree handing abandoned workshops to cooperatives (16 April 1871), only partly implemented	Military isolation and defeat (May 1871); Banque de France not occupied	Countercurrent's assessment: Without allies outside the city and without access to financial resources, the Commune remained vulnerable.
Catalonia & Aragon (1936)	Assemblies and committees, mainly of the CNT (in Catalonia partly with the UGT)	Existing infrastructure (telephone, railways, press) under trade-union management	Collectivised enterprises and agricultural collectives	Pushed back by the Republican government and the Communists from 1937; ended by Franco's victory in 1938/39	Countercurrent's assessment: The collectives depended on the backing of Republican institutions and on the course of the war.
Project Cybersyn (1971–1973)	Cybernetic management model (Stafford Beer) with daily indicator feedback	Telex network (Cybernet); operations room only as a prototype	Nationalised and state-administered enterprises (Área de Propiedad Social)	Government project; ended with the 1973 military coup	Countercurrent's assessment: Cybersyn shows that a management system lasts only as long as the political order that sustains it.
Level 2: living cases (falsifiable hypotheses and checkpoints)
Berlin (2021→2028)	Popular referendum (59.1% majority)	Citizens' initiative & Art. 15 Basic Law	Socialization of major housing corporations	Referendum not binding; bill by mid-2028 according to the exploratory talks	Next checkpoint: coalition agreement; bill by mid-2028.
Madrid / Spain (2024→2026)	Assemblies of the Acampada	Camp in Puerta del Sol (Madrid)	Rent freeze & eviction protection by decree	Decrees rejected on 02.10.2026; ILP not binding	Review after 11 Nov and 29 Nov 2026
European Union	European Citizens' Initiative (ECI)	Transnational signature collection	EU-wide commoning directives	No legislative obligation for the Commission	Next check-point: next application report on Regulation 2019/788.

Berlin (2021→2028) · Sources: Wahlen Berlin: Volksentscheid „Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen“ 2021, amtliches Ergebnis · bpb: Wahl zum Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin 2026 · t-online: Wohnungs-Vergesellschaftung in Berlin · Mietervereinigung Berlin: Vergesellschaftung in der Sondierung

Madrid / Spain (2024→2026) · As of: 26.10.2026 · El Salto: Convocatoria de elecciones · Diario de León: Cronología del decreto Maricarmen · Infobae: Qué está pasando en Europa: las causas de las protestas … · El País: ¿Dónde y por qué se protesta en Europa? … · orain.eus: Cientos de personas acampan en Sol · Euronews ES: La acampada en Sol entra en su tercer día

European Union · Sources: EUR-Lex: Verordnung (EU) 2019/788 über die Europäische Bürgerinitiative · Europäische Kommission: Überprüfung der Europäischen Bürgerinitiative 2023

Theory: Mark Fisher and the question of alternatives

Capitalist realism explained simply, AI and power over computing capacity, Fisher library

The Mark Fisher dilemma

Capitalist RealismAccording to Mark Fisher (2009): The widespread sense that not only is capitalism the only viable political system, but that it is impossible to imagine an alternative.: The system maintains itself primarily by narrowing what is thinkable ("It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism", a line Fisher attributes to Fredric Jameson and Slavoj Žižek).

Counter-hypothesis: Protest camps and acampadas make a crisis visible. Lasting change only comes about when material self-governance (such as cooperatives), tools for shared decision-making, transparent ownership and binding direct-democratic procedures come together.

Means of Production, Public Provisioning & Knowledge as Commons

Countercurrent reading (our own position):

Compute as Capital

Socialize AI Infrastructure

Frontier models require billions in compute power. Whoever funds training dictates objective functions and guardrails.

A counterweight would be Public Compute Commons (public or cooperative data centres).
Freeing automation: shorter working hours instead of precarious platform work.

Essential Public Provisioning

Decouple Housing & Healthcare

High rents and the cost of illness weigh especially on households in low-wage sectors.

Return bans on private equity in healthcare and elder care.
Social housing as unsellable, speculation-free collective property.

Education & Mind

Education as Knowledge Commons

Fisher's critique of "Market Stalinism": Schools as service providers, students as customers, and certificate industries.

Unconditional fee-free education from kindergarten to PhD.
Abolition of market-conformist audit bureaucracy; de-privatization of academic publishing.

The AI Dimension: Precorporation & Demonic Capital

Automated Critique

PrecorporationAccording to Mark Fisher: Capitalism's capacity to absorb systemic critique in advance and sell it as market-conformist merchandise. in the AI Era

According to Fisher, the system absorbs critique in advance and sells it as merchandise. When a frontier AI quotes anti-capitalist thinkers, it is treated as a marketing curiosity.

Material Base

Compute as Pure Capital

Training frontier models costs billions, requiring concentrated capital. Whoever finances sets the guardrails.

Cybernetics

Mesa-OptimizersA sub-goal system formed inside an AI model during training that pursues its own optimization targets. & ConvergenceInstrumental Convergence: The phenomenon where intelligent systems seek resource accumulation and self-preservation regardless of ultimate goals.

Instrumental Convergence: Systems accumulate resources and systematically remove barriers—without malice.

Mark Fisher: Core Texts, Legacy & Sources

2009 | Manifesto

Capitalist Realism

The original diagnosis: why, in Jameson's and Žižek's words, it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.

Mark Fisher: Capitalist Realism. Is There No Alternative? Zero Books, 2009; new edition 2022.

From the publisher Find in a library

2026 | EL PAÍS

EL PAÍS: AI & Mark Fisher

Essay by Isaac Marcet: Why frontier AI models are obsessed with Fisher's theories on precorporation.

Article at EL PAÍS →

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Go to the home page

How selected European countries organise their essential services

The eight areas of essential services compared, and how they relate to real income

🧭 Taking part locally

🏛️ Real Labs & Living Cases

🧠 Theory: Mark Fisher and the question of alternatives

Status Quo: European flashpoints

Spain: Housing decrees fail in parliament, reissued via Standing Committee – new election on 29 Nov

Positions according to the sources

Who gains, who bears the costs

Starting point

Why it is stuck

Berlin: EEG 2027 and grid package – dispute over compensation for curtailment and end of support for small solar systems

Positions according to the sources

Who gains, who bears the costs

Starting point

Why it is stuck

Taking part locally

🧭 Self-test: how well prepared is your municipality?

🗳️ Polis Consensus Trial Run (Collective Deliberation)

🏠 Rent & Ownership Transparency Radar (Distribution of your rent based on aggregate market ownership structures)

Historical Living Labs & Dossiers 🎴 Cards 📊 Comparison Matrix

Paris Commune

Catalonia & Aragon

Project Cybersyn

Berlin: socialisation of large housing stocks (2021→2028)

Madrid / Spain (2024→2026)

European Union (ECI)

Theory: Mark Fisher and the question of alternatives

The Mark Fisher dilemma

Means of Production, Public Provisioning & Knowledge as Commons

Socialize AI Infrastructure

Decouple Housing & Healthcare

Education as Knowledge Commons

The AI Dimension: Precorporation & Demonic Capital

PrecorporationAccording to Mark Fisher: Capitalism's capacity to absorb systemic critique in advance and sell it as market-conformist merchandise. in the AI Era

Compute as Pure Capital

Mesa-OptimizersA sub-goal system formed inside an AI model during training that pursues its own optimization targets. & ConvergenceInstrumental Convergence: The phenomenon where intelligent systems seek resource accumulation and self-preservation regardless of ultimate goals.

Mark Fisher: Core Texts, Legacy & Sources

Capitalist Realism

EL PAÍS: AI & Mark Fisher

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Document History & Changelog

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