Cities and municipalities are calling for a “restart” in migration policy before the refugee summit

Today the federal and state governments are coming together for a refugee summit. The overburdened municipalities are pushing for a turnaround.

Before the refugee summit of the federal and state governments, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) is in favor of a fundamental rethinking of migration. “The German Association of Towns and Municipalities calls on the Chancellor and the Prime Ministers to initiate a new start in migration policy on May 10,” said General Manager Gerd Landsberg t-online. “There must be no ‘keep it up’.”

Many municipalities have long since reached their capacity limits. Even the volunteers are exhausted. “We have to reduce the number of refugees,” Landsberg continued. The federal government must work towards this with all means. “Those who have no prospects of staying must be consistently returned. This seems to us to be of fundamental importance in order not to further jeopardize social acceptance.”

Landsberg also sees a fair distribution of refugees in Germany and Europe and better protection of the EU’s external borders as necessary measures.

The German District Association (DLT) is also demanding restrictions on immigration from the federal and state governments before the refugee summit. “First and foremost, it’s about limiting immigration, but secondarily it’s also about sufficient financial resources for the municipalities,” said the general manager of the DLT, Hans-Günter Henneke, to t-online.

The federal and state governments have been fighting fiercely for months, especially about financing. Henneke sees it this way: The federal government “is and remains” responsible, because controlling immigration falls within its area of ​​responsibility. “The counties and cities must be held harmless at this point.”

Henneke considers this to be easy to achieve: “It’s not rocket science, after all, the federal government had covered the accommodation costs for recognized refugees until 2021 due to the last wave of refugees and thus reliably supported the municipal level. We demand no more, but also no less for them current crisis situation.”

When it comes to financing, the Association of Towns and Municipalities is also demanding more commitment from the traffic light government. “The responsibility and funding bingo between the federal and state governments must come to an end.” The federal government has the power to shape migration policy. “From this follows a clear joint responsibility for the financing. What is necessary is a long-term strategy and not acting from one top meeting to the next.”

The DStGB specifically demands that the federal government bear the costs of accommodation for refugees permanently and in full and that lump sums for asylum seekers, integration costs and unaccompanied minors are reintroduced.

The German District Association is also in favor of a “breathing financing system” that is based on the respective number of refugees. The countries united in calling for such a system before the refugee summit. Henneke: “This would not only achieve sufficient flexibility, but would also avoid political wrangling over the necessary funds in the future.”