The expectations of the refugee summit convened by Interior Minister Faeser were high. But the municipalities were disappointed after the meeting.
The refugee summit in Berlin ended on Thursday with a lot of frustration on the part of the municipalities. At a press conference after the end of the summit, the President of the German District Association, Reinhard Sager, emphasized that the length of the meeting should not be taken to mean “that we produced excellent results for four hours, unfortunately that is not the case.” It was particularly disappointing that the federal government made no financial commitments to support the municipalities in caring for refugees.
At the meeting, the federal, state and local authorities agreed on better coordination on the accommodation and care of refugees. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that the 2.75 billion euros promised for this year will remain. After the meeting, the SPD politician said that work would be coordinated at the three levels to meet the challenges. According to Faeser, there will be further talks about possible additional financial aid from the federal government to cope with this task by Easter.
Criticism also because Scholz was not there
The municipalities criticized the fact that Scholz did not take part in the meeting. Representatives of the municipal umbrella organizations emphasized the urgency of decisions on questions of cost allocation and the accommodation of refugees. “We urgently need relief now,” said Reinhard Sager and called for a top-level meeting with Scholz.
The pressure on the municipalities is increasing every day. Living space is limited and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find volunteers, Sager explained. The fact that the federal government has now announced that it will prepare federal properties at its own expense for accommodation is good. Faeser had agreed to leave the property rent-free, and the federal government would reimburse the costs of renovation. Sager emphasized that a “turn of the tide” was needed when dealing with refugees. Germany must also commit itself to protecting the EU’s external borders.
Not all problems can be solved with money
Not all problems can be solved with money, said Hesse’s interior minister, Peter Beuth (CDU). He emphasized: “Migration to Europe must be regulated more closely.” There must be progress in the repatriation of rejected asylum seekers. Hamburg’s Senator for the Interior, Andy Grote (SPD), said with a view to the agreed new work processes: “We will involve the municipalities even more.” Easter is a good time to start talking about money again. By then it would be easier to estimate how many additional war refugees from Ukraine could be expected.
At the press conference after the event, the general manager of the German district association, Hans-Günter Henneke, caused a small scandal. While Grote was speaking, Henneke, who was sitting between journalists, left the hall and shouted: “Hypocrite”.
Different burdens in municipalities
After the meeting, Faeser emphasized the close coordination between the levels of government. “We stand side by side” and “we shoulder the great humanitarian effort together,” said the interior minister. She also referred to very different burdens in the municipalities and regions, about which there should be a closer exchange. Among other things, a digital “dashboard” for migration should ensure “transparency” down to the district level in the future.
Above all, it was possible for the first time to “agree on fixed work structures across all levels,” said Faeser. By Easter, concrete results should be achieved in the areas of accommodation and finances, relief for the immigration authorities and streamlining of processes, better integration into the labor market and limitation of irregular migration. Faeser said that given the number of people fleeing from different regions, they want to take measures to control the number of refugees more.
The interior minister also pointed out that the vast majority of refugees last year came from Ukraine because of the Russian war of aggression. Here she will work “for a stronger European distribution” of the people. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, more than a million people came to Germany in 2022. In addition, 217,774 people from Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries applied for asylum in Germany last year – more than since 2016.
