Landkreistag welcomes agreement on refugee costs
The chairman of the Brandenburg County Council, Siegurd Heinze, has given a cautiously positive reception to the agreement between the federal and state governments on refugee costs. "We at least welcome the fact that things are moving in the right direction," said the non-party district administrator of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district on rbb-Inforadio on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the municipalities discussed with Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) whether the annual lump sum of 7500 euros per year would be enough. "Let's see what actually gets through to the federal states and ultimately to the local authorities."
After a long dispute, the federal and state governments reached an agreement on the future distribution of refugee costs. From next year onwards, the federal government will pay an annual lump sum of 7500 euros for each migrant who applies for asylum for the first time, rather than a total annual sum of around 3.7 billion euros. According to Hesse's head of government Boris Rhein (CDU), together with relief measures, this amounts to a volume of around 3.5 billion euros for local authorities. At the same time, the federal and state governments want to restrict benefits for asylum seekers who have been in Germany for more than one and a half years.
The head of the Landkreistag called on the federal government to ensure that fewer immigrants cross the German border irregularly. "The demand on the federal government is that we get less influx of irregular migration," said Heinze. "Only the federal government can have a controlling effect." The district administrator criticized: "So far, it has done little to nothing." He again warned against overburdening the municipalities. "Of course, we still have the problem that there is no accommodation as such if the influx continues, and we also have problems in the areas of schools and nurseries."
The agreement on refugee costs between the federal and state governments has prompted discussions among municipalities about whether the annual lump sum of 7500 euros per year is sufficient. Amidst these discussions, the Landkreistag chairman urges the federal government to reduce irregular immigration, as they believe the federal government has the power to control the influx.
Source: www.dpa.com
