It was actually supposed to close at the end of the year: because of the many refugees from the Ukraine, it seems more and more likely that the state reception in Ellwangen will continue. The head of government sends another urgent appeal to the city’s municipal council.
Ellwangen (dpa/lsw) – Before important talks about the state initial reception (LEA) for refugees in Ellwangen, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann appealed again to the city and emphasized the importance of the accommodation. “The negotiations are not yet so far that I could say, I’m also confident that it will come about,” said the head of government before the meeting of the city’s municipal council with representatives of the Ministry of Migration on Wednesday (5 p.m.). “However, the compulsion of the circumstances is enormous and speaks for an agreement,” added the Green politician. It is actually not possible to leave the facility given the number of people who have fled.
The conversation is the next chapter in the ongoing struggle over the continued operation of the accommodation in a former barracks. An agreement between the state and municipalities actually provides for the LEA to close its doors at the end of the year. The city would like to stick to this and refers to the need for housing and urban development, for example. A majority of the municipal council is against continued operation, said a spokesman for the city. The CDU and Freie Bürger have a clear majority in the municipal council. The city is not interested in any permanent facility, it said.
Nevertheless, people in Ellwangen are aware of the country’s constraints. Marion Gentges’ (CDU) Ministry of Justice, which is responsible for migration, emphasizes the urgent need for the LEA in view of the strong influx of refugees, especially from Ukraine. An efficient and flexible initial reception system is indispensable in this situation. In talks with the municipality, the country now hopes to be able to find a compromise.
The Böblingen location is considered a possible perspective in the talks with the city. There could therefore be alternative accommodation that would replace Ellwangen’s initial reception facility. However, this is by no means a short-term solution, as Kretschmann recently said in Stuttgart.
The LEA has existed since 2015. It should initially be operated for five years. In 2019, the agreement between the state and the municipalities was extended until the end of 2022. The accommodation is designed for around 1000 refugees. Around 140,000 people have already fled from the Ukraine to Baden-Württemberg this year. In addition, about 22,000 asylum seekers came to the southwest.
