The federal and state governments want to advise on the accommodation and integration of refugees. Before the summit, the prime ministers are coordinating with municipal umbrella organizations – and are demanding more money.
Two days before the planned meeting between the federal and state governments on refugee policy in the Chancellery, the state governments and representatives of the municipal umbrella organizations agreed on their joint demands. As reported by participants on Monday, numerous heads of government took part in the meeting. According to the current status, the municipal associations have not been invited to the meeting of the state heads with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Wednesday.
After several Prime Ministers had demanded more money from the federal government at the weekend in view of the increasing number of asylum seekers, Berlin’s new Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) told the “Spiegel”: “For years Berlin has been one of the cities with the highest admission rate. However, our absorption capacity has limits because our housing, education, integration and funding options are limited.”
Wegner praised the initiative by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) to decide on certain asylum procedures in asylum centers directly on the EU’s external borders. “The Interior Minister’s proposal has our full support.” The principles of humanity and order must apply when the refugees are admitted. “We have to make a clear distinction between the necessary and expressly desired immigration of skilled workers, asylum seekers and those seeking protection, and irregular migration with no prospects of staying,” said the CDU politician.
In the first four months of this year, more than 100,000 people applied for asylum in Germany for the first time. That is around 78 percent more than in the same period last year. The federal government has so far shown no willingness to give the federal states more money to deal with their tasks of accommodating and caring for those seeking protection.
Source: Stern
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