Foreigner

BERLIN Faeser had explained that she could not understand the demands of the municipalities for more money from the federal government for the accommodation of refugees and migrants at this point in time. “I find it strange when it is already being said – at the beginning of April this year – that the money for this year is not enough,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday). The federal government made 4.4 billion euros available in 2022 and took over the social benefits for the refugees from Ukraine. He also promised federal states and municipalities 2.75 billion euros in additional support at an early stage.

The numbers mentioned by Faeser are correct, but the money does not go directly to the municipalities, but to the states, said the chief executive of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg. The expenditure for more than 200,000 daycare and school places for refugee children from the Ukraine is not sufficiently taken into account. “In addition, it has so far remained completely unclear what funds will be made available in 2024,” criticized Landsberg. He said: “There is no long-term strategy that meets the needs of the municipalities, some of which are heavily indebted and are working at the limit of their capacities.”

The district council sees the federal government as having a duty to ensure that fewer asylum seekers come to Germany. This must be done in coordination with the EU and countries of origin and transit. “Not enough has happened so far, including repatriation,” he warned. At the same time, Sager emphasized: “Of course, this does not apply to Ukrainian refugees; they undoubtedly have a right of residence.” The question of where refugees and asylum seekers could be housed overlooks the fact that many of the people who came to Germany in 2015 and 2016 are still occupying the same living space today. In addition, the federal states had recently calculated that the overall costs were much higher than expected. The federal government cannot ignore this.