Düsseldorf.
In view of the increasing number of asylum seekers, NRW city council chairman Thomas Kufen expects a breakthrough from the federal-state summit with the chancellor.
The cities in North Rhine-Westphalia expect a significant increase in asylum applications and dramatic supply bottlenecks. If development continues as it did in the first few months of 2023, NRW will be this year around 70,000 initial applications for asylum have to cope with, said the chairman of the NRW city association, Essen’s mayor Thomas Kufen, of the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf. “That would be around 63 percent more than in the previous year.” Above all, an increasing number of applications can be expected from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.
At the same time, the most populous federal state has already taken in a quarter of a million war refugees from Ukraine, emphasized Kufen. “For months we have been pointing out that many cities are reaching their limits – almost nothing has happened,” complained the CDU politician. “At the federal-state meeting on May 10th, we finally have to get down to business.” The cities are facing acute challenges and urgently need clarity as to what additional federal funds they can count on for the accommodation and integration of refugees.
Kufen about increasing asylum applications in NRW: “We had enough rounds of talks”
“We had enough rounds of talks, now the special MPK has to deliver,” demanded Kufen from the Prime Ministers’ Conference (MPK) with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on the refugee costs. “The minimum is that the federal government puts a significant shovel on the financing. We already know that the funds promised by the federal government last year will not be enough for this year.
“The chancellor and the prime ministers must also be clear at their meeting in May that the cities will not be helped with money alone. “The accommodations are full, the cities cannot conjure new municipal buildings or areas out of their hats,” emphasized Kufen. “Sooner or later, from our point of view, there is no way around the federal government building up central reception capacities in a concept coordinated with the federal states.” Even better would be reliable commitments from the federal government to further repatriation agreements and better management and fair distribution of refugees in Europe, he said.
Deportations failed in previous years due to missing papers
In NRW alone, tens of thousands of rejected asylum seekers are actually required to leave the country. However, many deportations have failed in recent years due to a lack of papers or a lack of willingness to cooperate on the part of the countries of origin.
Irrespective of a possible success of the negotiations in Berlin, the state government remains obliged to quickly close the financing gaps in the municipalities by amending the refugee reception law, demanded the chairman of the city council. “The cities need planning security.” In particular, there is a lack of reliable financing to provide accommodation on reserve. “And the monthly flat rate for the municipalities provided for in the country’s refugee reception law should be adjusted for inflation.”
In addition, the state government’s plans to expand to 34,500 places in the state institutions are not ambitious enough. “The City Day of North Rhine-Westphalia expects a rapid increase to 70,000 places,” confirmed Kufen. (dpa)
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