Controversial state parliament debate on migration policy
Following the federal-state agreement on migration, the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament held a controversial debate on refugee policy. The opposition accused the state government of the "traffic light" coalition of having done too little in recent years and of abandoning the local authorities. Representatives of the government factions as well as Integration Minister Katharina Binz (Greens) defended the course and pointed out that only with the agreements from Berlin last night would there be clarity on many points.
Among other things, the heads of government of the federal states and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had agreed on a change in the system for financing refugee costs. From next year, the federal government will pay an annual lump sum of 7500 euros for each first-time asylum seeker instead of the current total annual sum of around 3.7 billion euros. Benefits for asylum seekers are also to be reduced. The German government also wants to examine whether asylum procedures outside of Europe are possible. And asylum procedures are to be processed more quickly.
The AfD parliamentary group leader in the Mainz state parliament, Michael Frisch, accused the "traffic light" parties of "multicultural dreams" that have now been dashed by reality. Joachim Streit, parliamentary group leader of the Free Voters, who had introduced the topic into the current debate, said that the agreed 7500 euros for each applicant of a first-time asylum application was too little. Since 2019, the state government had failed to create additional places to accommodate refugees. The existing facilities are mainly in rural areas and not in the regional centers. CDU MP Dirk Herber also accused the state government of passivity and accused Binz of "self-confidence regardless of performance".
Minister Binz vehemently contradicted this. The state's first reception centers are in Trier and Speyer - and therefore in cities. The fact that other facilities are located in rural areas is simply due to the fact that there are suitable properties there. The state had certainly done a lot and was continuing to do so. However, until Tuesday morning there was no perspective on how to proceed with the financial support of the federal government and with the control and limitation of migration.
SPD parliamentary group leader Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler accused the opposition of talking down the federal-state agreement. She also said that the opposition was creating the illusion that the state government was the key player in limiting migration. "That is a fantasy - and they know it."
The opposition criticized the Rhineland-Palatinate state government for not doing enough on refugee policy in the context of the migration debate in Parliament. In light of the recent federal-state agreement on migration, the topic of refugee financing and asylum processes was a contentious point during the debate. Specifically, the opposition argued that the new system of financing refugee costs, which includes a lump sum of 7500 euros per first-time asylum seeker, was insufficient.
Source: www.dpa.com
