Refugees from Ukraine: The federal and state governments have decided this

Fast registration and distribution of the refugees, immediate job opportunities and access to integration courses: what the federal and state governments decided at the summit – and which point was postponed.

The topic of Corona was hotly debated at the federal-state meeting, but there were no resolutions. On the other hand, there were agreements on the coordination of refugee policy. However, many of the points remain vague and limited to declarations of intent.

distribution and accommodation

The interior ministers of the federal and state governments should improve the nationwide coordination of the distribution of refugees, according to the decision paper. The federal government should take on “a strong coordinating function” in the distribution. Transport, distribution decisions and information offers are given as examples. The background is that refugees are free to choose where they want to stay. The federal government should provide “comprehensive status reports and technical support”. The distribution should be based on the Königstein key. Accommodation should be expedited. The federal government therefore wants to allow deviations from building planning standards, it is said.

measures for integration

The integration measures that already exist, such as integration and work-related German courses, are to be opened up to the Ukraine refugees. “A central criterion for success in the labor market integration is the timely access of the refugees to free language courses of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees,” says the decision. The federal government should guarantee this.

job opportunities for refugees

Refugees from the Ukraine receive a residence permit in Germany – this should enable them to start work in Germany immediately. “In accordance with the circular of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland, the immigration authorities expressly allow gainful employment when the residence permit is issued,” the decision says. The federal government should adapt the programs and offers that deal with language acquisition, taking up gainful employment, childcare and advice for refugees and their families. The offers are to be summarized in the central help portal “Germany 4 Ukraine”.

Registration

“The Federal Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states consider it essential to register those who arrive quickly and easily,” the paper says. The federal and state governments should ensure registration via the central register of foreigners. The federal government is to support this in terms of personnel and material, and the registration process is to be accelerated.

schools

Ukrainian children and young people should be admitted to schools and universities as quickly as possible, and school psychological counseling and support should be ensured. This also applies to childcare offers. The care for orphans and their carers as well as unaccompanied and accompanied minors will also be ensured. Coordination is to take place at federal level through a central contact point.

Bless you

Refugees have a right to health care. You will receive a corona test, and you are also entitled to be vaccinated. The treatment of sick and injured people from Ukraine in hospitals is organized using the so-called cloverleaf procedure. It is coordinated by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance with the joint reporting and situation center of the federal and state governments.

financing

The financing issues have apparently not yet been clarified and have been postponed. The Federal Government has generally acknowledged its “joint responsibility for financing”. The Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, emphasized after the meeting: “Our municipalities will not be able to do it alone.”

The resolution states that a working group should develop a proposal for a solution as soon as possible. It should be available by the next meeting on April 7th. “In particular, the topics of accommodation costs, costs of support for subsistence and questions of individual service provision, help for particularly vulnerable groups and questions of federal participation in the costs of integration in child day care, school and the labor market are to be negotiated and, as a result, an overall financing concept is to be developed “, is it[called