Numerous crises have caused the number of refugees entering Germany to rise rapidly. Cries for help came from everywhere. Cities and municipalities are demanding more money for the accommodation and integration of people – but the federal government points to limited funds.
The crisis year 2022 brought Germany a new record in the number of refugees: last year more than a million people came to Germany from Ukraine; In addition, 217,774 people from Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries applied for asylum for the first time – in January 2023 alone there were another 29,072 asylum applications. In view of the sheer number of people seeking help, many cities and communities are reaching the limits of what is feasible. Some municipalities are already accommodating refugees in tents, container villages and exhibition halls. Memories are brought back to the crisis of 2015.
The German Association of Cities already fears increasing tensions in the vicinity of refugee facilities. First and foremost, there is a lack of money – not only for the accommodation of the refugees, but also for additional staff. “Many cities are at the limit and urgently need more support for taking in refugees,” said Eckart Würzner, Vice President of the Association of German Cities. In the current situation, it is not enough if the federal and state governments only talk about further financial support for the municipalities around Easter – especially since it is already clear that the funds promised for 2023 will not be sufficient.
In addition, according to the City Day, there is a lack of staff and daycare and school places for refugees. “Even the integration costs, for example for day care centers and schools, have not been priced in with a cent,” criticized the non-party mayor of Heidelberg. The federal government must assume the full cost of accommodation, Würzner demanded. In addition, the procedures for accommodating refugees would have to be legally simplified. Because they now need a roof over their heads. Federal Finance Minister Christian Linder from the FDP has already cautiously rejected additional funds.
The states have already been relieved and the municipalities have been given additional funds, said Lindner last weekend. The possibilities of the federal government are limited. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser is also arguing in this direction – and is dampening expectations ahead of the forthcoming refugee summit with representatives of the federal states and municipal umbrella organizations. “In 2022 alone, the federal government gave the states and municipalities financial support of 3.5 billion euros,” she told RND. “For this year we have agreed another 2.75 billion euros.”
The German Association of Cities counters: The number of refugees will continue to rise. People from the Turkish-Syrian earthquake area will soon be making their way to Germany, but there are hardly any places left in the city’s reception facilities. “The financial means for taking in the refugees must be dynamically adjusted to the actual number of refugees,” demanded CEO Helmut Dedy of the “Rheinische Post”. The federal government should therefore build up its own absorption capacities “as a buffer” and coordinate this with the federal states.
According to the German Association of Cities, one way to limit the number of people who actually set off is through reconstruction aid. Germany and other states would have to provide rapid and comprehensive assistance in Turkey and Syria, as well as in Ukraine. Despite catastrophes and war, many people did not want to leave their homes. “People must therefore be able to live on site with fast and comprehensive emergency and reconstruction aid,” says Würzner, “to save them having to flee their homeland.”
The discussion about faster deportations should also pick up speed. Above all from the Union, but also from the FDP, there are demands to take stronger action against the entry of refugees from countries other than Ukraine and to accelerate deportations. Würzner proposes that asylum seekers whose applications have no chance of success should no longer be distributed to the municipalities in the future. The cities should be able to concentrate on taking in and caring for refugees who have stayed in Germany for a long time.
