“Hessen Demands More Financial Support from Federal Government for Refugee Aid”

“Help for refugees is a task for society as a whole, which the state and the municipalities meet with great commitment and financial commitment. However, only the federal government and the European Union can influence the number of refugees coming to Germany and Hesse. The federal government is therefore also particularly obliged to finance refugee aid. Unfortunately, he does not fulfill this task to the required extent. We hope that this will change tomorrow with the talks between the heads of the federal states and the Federal Chancellor. Unfortunately, the preparatory documents so far do not indicate that the federal government wants to live up to its responsibility,” said Hessens Finance Minister Michael Boddenberg, Interior Minister Peter Beuth and Minister of Social Affairs Kai Klose today.

“Hessen is aware of its responsibility and gives its municipalities far more money for refugee aid than the federal government provides. In addition, the state also bears its own costs, for example for the initial admission and the additional efforts in Hesse’s schools,” said the ministers.

Here is an overview of the figures for the past and current year (rounded):

“Time is running out. Many municipalities are at the limit, also financially. In order to strengthen their liquidity, the state has only just made an advance payment and has already transferred more than 50 million euros to the municipalities in advance, which the federal government has promised but has not yet paid out,” said Boddenberg, Beuth and Klose. “The federal government must contribute steadily and dynamically to the integration costs. This involves accommodation, but also follow-up costs, for example for daycare places, integration and initial orientation courses. The federal states are demanding more commitment from the federal government, especially when it comes to financing migration advice, language mediation and integration and initial orientation courses.”