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Germany-Municipalities: At 3,500 euros per month the cost of supporting refugees from Ukraine

German municipalities fear they will have to bear the cost of Ukrainian refugee care, according to Welt. At the same time, according to the same publication, spending is likely to be higher than the estimates of Solz and the prime ministers, while investment in education, for example, was not taken into account.

In the dispute over the distribution of aid costs to fleeing Ukrainians, there are still clear differences between federal, state and local governments.

One reason is that it is obviously unclear to what extent any expenditure will be incurred.

Data available at least from the Land of Hesse. While Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) recently undertook an average of 2,500 euros per refugee per month, the municipalities of Hesse expect spending 3,500 euros.

A document of positions of the three central municipal associations of Hesse states: “The cities, regions and municipalities of Hesse demand from the federal government 3,500 euros per refugee and month”. This would “adequately cover reception, accommodation, language support, etc.”. The Association of Cities of Hesse told Welt am Sonntag that the calculation is based on the average prices of refugee reception in 2019.

The association presupposes 75 euros per day for “accommodation, food, operating expenses” per person. 25 euros will be for “psychosocial care”, 15 euros for “social work” and ten euros for “security services”. The Association of Cities and Municipalities of Brandenburg “essentially shares the cost estimate of the Association of Cities and Municipalities of Hesse,” CEO Jens Graf told Welt am Sonntag.

Regarding the amount mentioned by the head of the Buffet government, the Ministry of Social Affairs of Wiesbaden explained: “2,500 euros is an average calculation that reflects the cost of hosting a refugee in the first reception structure of the state of Hesse, including social care.” . When asked by Welt am Sonntag if the higher costs reported by the associations were understandable after the distribution of people between municipalities, one spokesman replied that “no statement can be made” about this.

If the calculation of the municipalities of Hesse corresponds to about the average cost at national level, this would mean a total monthly cost of around one billion euros. Meanwhile, about 350,000 people have fled Germany to flee Ukraine before the Russian attack. So far, however, none of the government agencies make such an overall calculation.

The German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), when asked, is also not in a position to provide information at national level on the approximate financial needs of municipalities for the reception of refugees. However, Deputy CEO Verena Göppert clarified: “The lump sums for this year, agreed between the federal government and the L κυβέρnder, will not be predictably sufficient to cover all costs.”

Education “not priced”

Above all, “permanent investments and operating costs for kindergartens and schools” have not yet been “invoiced”. And for the period after 2022, “everything is still open from an economic point of view, the federal government and the states must reach an agreement quickly. The cities are committed with a lot of heart and soul. But we must not stay at the end of the day with the cost”.

Chancellor Olaf Soltz (SPD) and state presidents had agreed on April 7 that the federal government would contribute two billion euros to host states and municipalities’s spending this year. . Among other things, it was decided to include Ukrainian refugees in the “normal” social assistance system under Book II of the Social Code (SGB II) as early as 1 June.

For the rest of the asylum seekers, this will only happen after they have been identified in an asylum procedure which usually takes months – for asylum seekers who have been rejected but are tolerated – which is the majority – the process will take place after 18 months at the latest.

Source: Capital

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