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Germany: The states are asking the government for 1,000 euros per person for refugees from Ukraine

Next week, Chancellor Scholz and the L .nder will hold final cost-sharing negotiations, according to Handelsblatt. The federal government wants to support – but not to the extent required by the L .nder.

In particular, the L .nder are seeking support from the federal government to finance housing and care for Ukrainians. It is “more urgent than ever to reach a viable successive arrangement for the federal government’s involvement in refugee reception and integration spending,” said Joachim Herrmann, chairman of the Bavarian Interior Ministry. (CSU), in Handelsblatt. “The Lτnder and municipalities must be relieved sustainably by the federal government.”

The federal government and the states are currently negotiating in a cost-sharing working group. However, the conversations are difficult. According to negotiating circles, the final agreement is not expected before the meeting of Chancellor Olaf Solz (SPD) with the prime ministers of the states on April 7. While the states have a long list of wishes for support measures, Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) do not want to comply with every request, given the already limited budget situation. “The federal government will live up to its responsibility,” government sources said. It is “a task for the whole state that must be borne by all levels”.

In particular, the L .nder are asking the federal government to pay a one-time lump sum per refugee again. This was once introduced during the refugee crisis in 2015, but expired at the end of 2021. The amount amounted to 670 euros. The L .nder are now proposing an increase to € 1,000 per month per person. In addition, the federal government will fully bear the cost of housing the refugees, as in the past, and retroactively from 1 January.

The agreement should be reached quickly

“We need a national show of strength for the rapid reception of all refugees and their good integration,” said Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens). He said a full involvement of the federal government was needed, which would require a quick agreement between the federal government and the state governments on a comprehensive funding idea. Bayaz pointed out that Baden-Württemberg also reimburses municipalities for the cost of privately hosted refugees.

Thuringian Immigration Minister Dirk Adams (Greens) has warned against the transfer of the financial burden of distributing refugees under the Königstein Key to municipalities alone. “It’s clear that the federal government has to make a significant contribution to the real costs,” Adams said.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Refugees of North Rhine-Westphalia, Joachim Stamp (FDP), stressed that the municipalities will not be left untouched. The federal and state governments must bear the brunt together. “No municipality needs to worry financially because of those displaced by the war,” he said.

The list of federal states’s claims to the federal government is even longer. In addition to the lump sum and the cost of accommodation, the federal government will have to fund additional funding for refugees in need of care and patients. Likewise, it will again have to provide buildings as accommodation. Overall, the cost could well be in the higher single digit of billions.

The federal government is reacting cautiously to the many demands. According to government circles, these are demands of the L καιnder and there is no agreement on them. The budget holders from the “traffic light” coalition are even more honest. “It can not go on like this,” one Bundestag member lamented. The L .nder have already received more than enough funding from the federal government in the past. “Where the L .nder are still liable, they do not live up to their responsibilities.”

From the point of view of the Bundestag’s budgeters, the burden of the Corona pandemic must not be repeated: For the past two years, the federal government has backed the L μεnder with billions. The result: while the federal government created record debts last year, many Lφεnder managed to balance their budgets again.

Related to funding is the issue of benefits that refugees must receive. FDP politician Stamp argued that the current benefit to refugees under the Asylum Seekers Act should be regulated differently in the near future. It assumes that the support under the law on benefits for asylum seekers will remain for the first months and that there will then be a transition to basic benefits under Book Social Code II (SGB II). “It is the duty of the whole society to ensure the protection, housing and financing of war victims,” ​​Stamp said.

There is a difference in the amount of benefits. Under the law on benefits for asylum seekers, unmarried or single-parent families receive € 367 per month. Normal Basic Security rates for job seekers, commonly known as Hartz IV, are higher under SGB II. Singles currently receive 449 euros. The L .nder, regions and municipalities were originally responsible for benefits under the Asylum Seekers Act. However, in view of the high number of refugees from 2015 onwards, the federal government has successively relieved the L .nder, mainly through a higher share of VAT revenues.

The federal government has increased its subsidies

The usual basic security needs for job seekers are funded by the federal government, while municipalities are responsible for housing and heating costs. However, the federal government has been steadily increasing its contribution to these costs since the introduction of basic benefits, with the most recent increase to 75% in 2020.

The integration of Ukrainian refugees into SGB II would have the advantage that care could be provided “from one source”. Currently, the Social Welfare Service is responsible for the payment of benefits under the law on benefits to asylum seekers, while the Employment Service is responsible for job placement. However, according to Book II of the Social Code, both the provision of benefits and placement in jobs will be the sole responsibility of OAED. As a result, Daniel Terzenbach, a board member of the Federal Employment Service (BA), on Thursday called for the transfer of refugees to SGB II in the medium term.

According to official figures, about 290,000 people from Ukraine have arrived in Germany so far. In reality, however, the number is probably much higher. Ukrainian citizens can enter the country without a visa and stay for up to 90 days – initially, they do not need to register anywhere. Many are hosted privately.

Bavarian Interior Minister Herrmann has rejected the free choice of housing for the displaced. A nationwide distribution is “absolutely necessary for a rational planning of the federal states,” he said. “If refugees need housing, we can not let them choose which country and which city they want to go to.” A country must be designated to welcome each individual, he said.

The President of the Landkreistag, Reinhard Sager, favored compulsory residence. Sager said refugees should be recorded as fully as possible in order to achieve a good weight distribution throughout Germany. “Residence obligation can also play a role in this.” This also applied to the recent refugee crisis. The refugees were not allowed to leave the district of the Aliens Authority where their reception center was located, because otherwise the benefits would be canceled.

Source: Capital

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