Germany: Over a million new refugees?

The number of refugees arriving daily in Germany from Ukraine, mainly in Berlin, is growing rapidly. Calls for immediate distribution in the states.

Almost a month after the Russian invasion and while the bombing of Ukrainian cities is raging with undiminished intensity, the number of refugees from Ukraine arriving in Germany is increasing daily. According to the German Interior Ministry and the federal police, more than 218,000 refugees from Ukraine arrived in Germany by Sunday, when, according to the UN, a total of about ten million people have already fled their homes since the start of the Russian invasion.

In Berlin alone, according to official figures, about 10,000 new arrivals a day have been recorded so far, with representatives of local housing and refugee agencies estimating that they could soon reach 20,000 per day.

As no checks are carried out at the EU’s internal border, ie at the Polish-German border, where most refugees arrive, the actual number is likely to be much higher. Mass arrivals in Germany are also facilitated by the fact that a visa for Ukrainian citizens is not required in Germany. Also at present it is not possible to record how many of the refugees arriving in Germany choose to be hosted by relatives and friends or continue their journey to other countries.

One million refugees or many more?

However, the German government’s estimates for one million refugees from Ukraine are very likely to be exceeded by reality, according to members of the opposition Christian parties. Johan Vandepul, vice-president of the K.O., considers the estimate for one million refugees to be “very low” and “completely unrealistic”. of the Christian parties CDU / CSU in the German Parliament, which considers that their number will be much higher.

At the same time, there is growing talk of direct coordination between the German government and the L .nder for the distribution of new refugees. For example, Joachim Stump, Immigration Minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, invites the other states to a special “meeting for the new refugee” and calls for a “Masterplan” for the best possible distribution of refugees.

Calls from German cities and hospitals

The Association of German Cities, through its head Markus Leve, also appeals for the immediate payment of social benefits and the provision of medical insurance to the displaced.

For its part, the German Hospital Doctors Association also draws attention to the treatment of patients and war wounded arriving in Germany in need of immediate medical care. “At the moment we are not as prepared as we should be for the treatment of the sick and injured from Ukraine,” Union leader Geranld Gus told the Redaktoonsnetwerk Deutschland.

Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle