In view of the continued high number of refugees, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) warns of a critical situation in the accommodation of people in the coming year. “Even if the number of migrants is no longer as high as in late summer, an average of around 1,800 refugees have arrived in Brandenburg since November,” Stübgen told the German Press Agency. The counties and urban districts are already overburdened with accommodation.
“The problem will then worsen next year because the municipalities are obliged to accept the refugees after about three months from the initial reception,” explained Stübgen. If the number of refugees remains so high, there is a risk of a situation in which tents will have to be set up again in the cities and communities and gyms will have to be used as emergency accommodation. “And we definitely want to avoid that,” said the minister.
Stübgen pointed out that by the end of October this year, 37,000 refugees had already arrived in Brandenburg. By the end of the year, the total number would then be around 40,000. In the refugee year 2015, on the other hand, there were only 25,000.
Stübgen again calls for the Balkan route to be closed
At the moment, other refugees are only coming from Ukraine in isolated cases. “But if, because of the war and the cold winter, more than a million war refugees come to Germany from there – like between March and June – we will certainly no longer be able to do without emergency accommodation,” said the minister.
Stübgen again called on the federal government to negotiate with Serbia to close the Balkan route. “Because this refugee route with charter planes from Turkey and other countries to Belgrade and then with smuggler organizations with small buses to Germany will not stop in winter.”
In addition, given the already critical situation, the federal government must stop admission programs for boat people from Italy, for example, Stübgen demanded. “The whole program affected about 18,000 migrants, and 12,000 were generously allowed to go to Germany,” the minister said. “This is not the time for us to show that generosity.” (dpa)
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