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Before the refugee summit: the federal and state governments are arguing about aid

Before the refugee summit: the federal and state governments are arguing about aid

On Wednesday, the federal and state governments will meet for a refugee summit. The federal states are demanding additional billions for refugees. The federal government rejects this – but has another offer.

In view of the increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers, many municipalities see themselves on the edge of their ability to perform. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the state leaders will discuss refugee aid on Wednesday. An overview of the situation before the refugee summit:

How many people came to Germany last?

According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf), 101,981 initial applications for asylum were made in Germany in the first four months of the year. That was 78 percent more than in the same period last year. If this development were to continue, more than 300,000 asylum applications would be possible this year – after 218,000 initial applications last year. These people have to be housed in the communities – alongside the approximately one million refugees from Ukraine.

What demands are there from the countries?

Countries would like to return to lump sum payments, which existed until 2021. From 2016, the federal government had provided the federal states with 670 euros per asylum seeker and month. The advantage would be that the federal and state governments would not have to keep renegotiating the refugee costs.

The countries speak of a “breathing system” that automatically adapts to the situation. According to a paper from the state finance ministries, they are now demanding a thousand euros per month per asylum seeker because of increased costs. The federal government generally rejects the return to per capita flat rates.

How is the federal government positioning itself on the money issue?

In a resolution proposal for the refugee summit, the federal government is sticking to its position and does not want to promise any significant increase in aid. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) recently pointed out that the federal government had already pledged an additional 2.75 billion euros in aid for this year last November.

According to its own statements, the federal government will spend a total of 15.6 billion euros on refugees in 2023. This also includes the expenses for the more than one million Ukraine refugees who can receive social benefits directly and do not have to apply for asylum.

So what does the federal government want to offer the states?

The government wants to help the countries by simplifying procedures in order to speed up asylum procedures. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf), it currently takes an average of 6.5 months for an asylum decision to be made. However, a court appeal is also possible. Last year, the average duration of the procedure was 26 months. The Federal Government’s decision paper therefore also calls for more efforts to digitize the immigration offices.

How should deportations be made easier?

The federal government proposes central “arrival facilities” for refugees from which deportations could take place directly. In addition, the violation of entry and residence bans is to be defined as an independent reason for detention and detention to leave the country is to be extended from ten to 28 days. The federal government wants to hold talks with important countries of origin in order to improve cooperation in the readmission of their nationals.

Why does the federal government also want to expand the list of safe countries of origin?

The federal government also wants to present a draft law “soon” to put Georgia and Moldova in particular on the list of safe countries of origin. Due to the political situation in such states, persecution is generally not assumed. Asylum applications from their nationals would have to be rejected as “obviously unfounded”, and the deadlines for objections have been shortened.

What are the chances of an agreement?

Many of the federal government’s proposals to accelerate the process and faster deportations will also find support from the federal states, but will probably only help in the medium to long term. On the financial issue, the positions before the meeting seemed hardened. A failure of the refugee summit would be difficult for both sides given the tense situation in many communities. It will probably only become clear after hours of negotiations on Wednesday whether an agreement can be reached.

Source: Stern

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