The number of asylum applications has fallen. However, the Association of Towns and Municipalities sees this as only a temporary relief for the municipalities.
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities sees the decline in the number of asylum seekers as only a temporary relief and is calling for municipalities to be completely exempted from asylum costs. “In principle, it is of central importance that cities and municipalities are completely relieved of the costs of accommodation, care and integration,” said Deputy General Manager Uwe Zimmermann to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
“The slight easing that is currently emerging in the migration situation is giving the communities, cities and districts a little breathing room to sort themselves out and organize themselves,” he continued. Ultimately, however, the decline in the number of asylum seekers is only a temporary relief.
Zimmermann: Integration is a lengthy process
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 71,061 people applied for asylum in Germany between January and March 2024. Compared to the same period last year (80,978 initial applications), this represents a decrease of 19.2 percent.
Zimmermann continued that it is often underestimated that integration is a lengthy process. “In a quantitatively exhausted system – as is the case in some daycare centers and schools – the situation can only be relaxed in the long term if the influx is reduced permanently and not just temporarily.”
Source: Stern
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