Federal states
Prime Minister Weil wants national consensus on migration
Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil demands that the number of people coming to Germany must be reduced. photo
© Michael Matthey/dpa
The migration crisis is likely to be a dominant topic in the talks between the federal and state governments on Monday. This is primarily about one central question.
Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil calls for a national consensus in the migration crisis. This would be an important sign for citizens of a shared perception of responsibility, said the SPD politician at the request of the German Press Agency in Hanover.
On Monday, the 16 heads of government of the federal states will discuss numerous topics with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) – including the financing of refugee accommodation. “Financing basic care for refugees is a national task that must be shared by states and municipalities,” demanded Weil.
If the federal government is not prepared to take on a significant share of its own, the municipalities run the risk of losing their ability to act in other areas, said the head of government. “People’s trust in politics then threatens to be lost even further.”
Weil’s demand
Lower Saxony’s head of government once again demanded that the number of people coming to Germany must be reduced. “It doesn’t help, we have to reduce the number of people coming to us every week. We want to continue to help those who really need asylum or protection from us according to the Geneva Refugee Commission.”
In order to make this possible, those who come for other understandable but not so urgent reasons unfortunately have to be sent back home, said the SPD politician. “The municipalities are at their limit, both financially and in terms of their accommodation capacities.”
Meanwhile, Weil was confident that the federal and state governments would agree on a pact for acceleration. “An important topic that runs the risk of being lost in public attention. We have to become faster in expanding renewable energies and renovating our infrastructure,” emphasized the Prime Minister.