Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, around a million refugees have come to Germany from the country. This poses particular problems for the municipalities. Maybrit Illner and her guests discussed this on Thursday evening on ZDF.
When the first refugees arrived in Germany via the Balkan route in 2015, the word “crisis” was on everyone’s lips. Now there is another wave of refugees because of the Russian attack on Ukraine. However, today almost nobody wants to talk about a crisis. Nevertheless, the municipalities have big problems.
Around a million people have now arrived in Germany from the Ukraine. Many have now returned to their homeland. Nevertheless, in many communities the capacity limit has been reached: There is no more accommodation. The coming winter could make the situation even worse. In the ZDF talk show Maybrit Illner, the guests talked about possible solutions to the problem on Thursday evening, and a migration expert actually has an idea.
This is Gerald Knaus. He is co-founder and head of the European Stability Initiative think tank. Knaus formulates the cause of the current situation: Russian President Putin is forcing people to leave their country and enter the EU states with harsh attacks on the civil infrastructure in Ukraine. He wants to bring Western countries to their knees and split societies.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser has a problem: she doesn’t know how high the number of refugees can still be in the coming months. But she knows that the municipalities need help from the federal and state governments. The federal government will spend 1.25 billion euros on this, she says. The prime ministers’ conference agreed on this on Wednesday.
That’s not enough for the mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer. He doesn’t talk about money, it’s about practical problems: housing, daycare or elementary school places. One must discuss whether it is right to accept refugees from Ukraine “as if we would fully integrate them”. Palmer: “There is no one who denies that we have to take in these people.” However, the question of whether refugees from the Ukraine should be treated as “nationals” and should receive Hartz 4 is disputed.
Palmer also doubts that it is right to provide apartments for refugees from Ukraine. He can also imagine their accommodation in – literally – “mass accommodation”. That’s what they did in 2015, too. “I can’t understand why a Ukrainian war refugee has to receive different benefits than a Syrian war refugee,” says Palmer, whose membership in the Green Party is currently suspended.
Palmer also has an idea to relieve day-care centers and elementary schools: Ukrainian children should be cared for by Ukrainian adults in empty houses. “Then we’ll add a bit of money for game material,” suggests Palmer, because: “I care about the discussion about the well-being of the children.” This can also be used to defuse the competition with parents who do not get daycare places for their children and therefore cannot go to work.
However, Palmer’s ideas can hardly be implemented. As far as the children from the Ukraine are concerned, he himself names the problem: “Let’s leave out the German standards of the municipal association for youth and social affairs.” And the fact that Ukraine refugees are treated “like nationals” instead of like asylum seekers was decided by the European Union, explains Interior Minister Faeser.
Carsten Linnemann from the CDU is also worried. He demands: Illegal refugees must be turned back at the border. Humanitarian aid for Ukraine refugees is of course right. “It is crucial that there is humanism on the one hand, but also the rule of law on the other.” According to his information, twelve federal states have now reached their capacity limits. More and more children without German language skills are being cared for at schools. “We mustn’t allow ourselves to be overwhelmed,” he demands.
And then migration expert Knaus presents ideas that are surprisingly well received by all guests. First of all, the problem of the Ukrainian refugees must be solved at European level, he says. So far, France has taken in significantly fewer refugees than Baden-Württemberg. In Germany, the families who take in war refugees from Ukraine should be better supported.
Above all, however, he calls for people from Ukraine to be better integrated into society. “Integration is also an opportunity,” he says. “We share a common destiny with Ukraine. Now we have to discuss how we can build solidarity across Europe. We have to do it and we will do it.”
