Düsseldorf / Berlin (dpa / lnw) – North Rhine-Westphalia’s refugee minister Josefine Paul (Greens) has expressed disappointment with the results of the refugee summit in Berlin. She expects more specific things in future rounds, Paul said on Thursday after the meeting of the federal, state and local governments. The agreements fell short of expectations.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) “didn’t bring anything to the summit” when it came to urgently needed properties for refugee accommodation. The previous proposals can only be used to a fraction. Since the municipalities are reaching their limits, the federal government must now support them in the short term in accommodating refugees. The Greens also missed binding commitments about necessary integration steps such as language courses.
In addition to accommodation, integration into society, work, education and care are central challenges. “Especially here in North Rhine-Westphalia, which has taken in almost a quarter of those seeking protection from the Ukraine, there are also great opportunities,” emphasized Paul. “That’s why we have to strengthen language support in particular.”
In Berlin, the federal, state and local governments had previously agreed to better coordinate the accommodation and care of refugees. Faeser said there would be further talks about possible additional federal financial aid to accomplish this task by Easter.
