For a long time, the fronts in the dispute over the continued operation of the initial reception in Ellwangen were hardened. Now there is a solution. At least for the years to come.
Ellwangen (dpa/lsw) – The long tug-of-war between the state and city of Ellwangen over the state initial reception center for refugees is over: The so-called LEA can be operated until the end of 2025. This was decided by the Ellwangen municipal council on Thursday evening, thus settling a long-standing dispute with the state government about the future of the site. The Ministry of Justice in Stuttgart had previously asked the city to extend the agreement, which expires at the end of the year, because of the extremely tense refugee situation.
After the compromise that has now been decided, the LEA will remain open until the end of 2025. During this time, the city can continue to plan for the site, on which, among other things, apartments for 1800 people are to be built. According to the city and the Ministry of Justice responsible for migration, Minister of Justice Marion Gentges (CDU), Mayor of Ellwangen Michael Dambacher and District Administrator of the Ostalb district, Joachim Bläse, had reached an agreement in the past few days.
“We conducted intensive negotiations,” said Gentges late Thursday evening. “If both sides have legitimate interests, the negotiations are not easy.” In view of the current situation, the continued operation of the LEA is “essential” for the state. Ellwangen’s Mayor Dambacher was also relieved: “I’m happy about the clear vote and the clear signal to Stuttgart,” he said. “With this decision, the interests of the state and city were taken into account.”
The majority in the Ellwangen municipal council actually wanted to close the LEA at the end of the year. While the CDU and Free Voters in particular had spoken out against continued operation, the Greens and SPD always advocated it. By the end of the period found, up to 700 refugees should be accommodated in the Ellwanger LEA in regular operation, with a maximum of 1300.
The LEA has existed since 2015. It should initially be operated for five years. In 2019, the agreement between the state and the municipality was extended until the end of 2022.
The pressure for a compromise had recently increased: According to the Ministry of Migration, around 170,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in the southwest so far, 142,000 of them come from Ukraine. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) recently emphasized that it was actually not possible for the country to leave the facility, given the number of people who had fled.
During the talks, the Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for migration, had not mentioned a possible end date for the operation of the accommodation. The council made that a requirement.
