The authorities have so far registered almost 100,000 refugees from Ukraine in Germany. Above all, the municipalities must ensure their accommodation. They make clear demands on the federal government.
The cities and municipalities in Germany have asked the federal and state governments to bear the full cost of caring for the Ukrainian refugees.
“We expect the federal and state governments to fully reimburse the municipalities for the costs incurred for accommodation, care, daycare, school and medical care,” said the chief executive of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, of the “Rheinische Post”.
At the same time, he warned of “as even a distribution as possible” to the federal states and then also to the municipalities according to the so-called Königstein key. This key determines the shares of the individual federal states according to tax revenue and population. For better coordination, an expert council should be set up at federal level – similar to that for the corona pandemic. At the moment it is still possible to provide sufficient living space for the refugees, said Landsberg.
City Day: Distribute refugees across the country
The general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, told the “Passauer Neue Presse” that it is now more important to accommodate the refugees in such a way that they are distributed throughout the country. “It takes a solidarity action of all cities and communities. But that assumes that the federal government and the states
put certain distribution rules into effect.»
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), who is currently chairman of the Prime Ministers’ Conference (MPK), wants to put the issue of refugees on the agenda of the consultations between the heads of the federal states and the federal government. “We have to work closely together between the federal, state and local governments to clarify central issues and come to an orderly process,” said Wüst of the “Rheinische Post”. In addition, financial support for states and municipalities must also be discussed.
The General Practitioners Association has meanwhile called for the refugees to be quickly provided with electronic health cards. “That would simplify the care significantly,” said Ulrich Weigeldt, Federal Chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. We already had good experiences with this during the refugee crisis in 2015. The current system, in which people receive treatment certificates from the municipalities, cannot be a permanent solution.
Refugee numbers could be significantly higher
In Germany, the authorities registered almost 100,000 refugees from Ukraine by Thursday. Due to the lack of border controls, the numbers could also be significantly higher, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The capital Berlin is particularly affected – partly because of its location near the Polish border. The Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) is therefore not only relying on help from the federal government but also on support from the Bundeswehr.
“We’re at a point where we need 1,000 beds in the city every night,” said Giffey in the Berlin House of Representatives. The federal government also works with the non-profit organization of the US accommodation broker Airbnb when it comes to taking in refugees privately.
The majority of the well over two million people who have fled the country since the Russian attack on Ukraine began two weeks ago are in Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. According to border guards, there are more than 1.4 million refugees in Poland alone.
Source: Stern
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