refugees
The federal and state governments want to find solutions to migration
Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), also spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Conference, on his way to the Chancellery. photo
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
So far, the federal and state governments have argued a lot about refugee policy. That should change now. Olaf Scholz discussed this on Friday with both chairmen of the Prime Minister’s Conference and, for the first time, with the opposition leader in the Bundestag.
The federal and state governments want to come to common solutions by the beginning of November to deal with the influx of hundreds of thousands of people To get refugees to Germany under control. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Ministers Boris Rhein (SDU) and Stephan Weil (SPD) discussed migration policy for the first time on Friday evening with the opposition leader in the Bundestag, CDU leader Friedrich Merz. The two state heads of government then expressed their confidence that a consensus was possible. Merz agreed to further talks.
The meeting was “very constructive” and took place “in a very good atmosphere,” said the Hessian Prime Minister Rhein, who is currently chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference. His deputy, Weil from Lower Saxony, said that following the agreement between the states at the Prime Minister’s Conference in Frankfurt, the government and opposition must now also come together in the federal government. He is confident here. “It shows a clear willingness to do so.” Merz praised the “good atmosphere” of the conversation in the ZDF “heute journal”: “We agree on the goal, and the next few days and weeks will show whether we agree on the path.”
On November 6th, all prime ministers will meet with Scholz in Berlin. An agreement should then be reached on the financing of refugee accommodation, but if possible, solutions should also be found on other issues. “I think it is now important that there is speed in solving the questions,” said Rhein. He is in favor of a “all-in-one” migration package.
The more than two-hour conversation in the Chancellery was a new format. Scholz and Merz initially had a one-on-one conversation, which was then attended by the two state heads of government.
Merz and Rhein present 26-point paper
Merz then signaled his willingness to continue discussions. He and Rhein presented a 26-point paper for a “Germany Pact” to limit illegal migration. The paper presented to the German Press Agency in Berlin on Friday evening lists widely known demands from the Union. It contains 16 demands for national action and 10 points for action at European level.
Scholz had invited people to the meeting after the state elections in Hesse and Bavaria. All traffic light parties suffered losses, while the AfD won significantly. Migration was a main issue in the election campaign. Even before the elections, Scholz had offered the states and the “democratic opposition” a “Germany Pact” to advance reforms in Germany. But he didn’t just mean restricting irregular migration, but also other issues such as reducing bureaucracy. The conversation on Friday was initially only about migration.
The state prime ministers met before the meeting. “The measures taken so far are not yet sufficient to limit irregular migration,” says a resolution by the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK). Among other things, the states called on the federal government to take effective measures to speed up the asylum process, to prevent unauthorized entries, for example through stationary border controls at the borders with the Czech Republic and Poland, and to create the conditions for the introduction of a nationwide uniform payment card for asylum seekers. When it comes to financing the reception of refugees, MPK Chairman Rhein said: “The federal government has to make significant moves here, that’s clear.”
Rhein thanked Scholz for inviting him to the interview. “I think this is how you can really run a country in such a way that the citizens have the feeling that they care, that they have it under control and that they are making big steps.” According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the Chancellor saw the meeting as an “information discussion” and “exchange of opinions”. The participants in the group lingered briefly on the balcony of the Chancellor’s Office and later gathered for dinner in the Chancellor’s apartment. Veal schnitzel and fried potatoes were served there.
The number of refugees has risen sharply
The background to the discussions is the sharp increase in the number of refugees in Germany. The federal states expect that significantly more than 300,000 people will come to Germany this year – not counting refugees from Ukraine. The resolution of the Prime Minister’s Conference states: “The heads of government of the federal states see the federal government as having a duty to implement an asylum policy characterized by humanity and order.”
According to the wishes of the federal states, asylum procedures for people with little prospect of staying should be processed more quickly in the future. The stated goal is to complete the asylum procedure and the legal proceedings that often follow in three months.
The aim should be to speed up the process with priority processing of applications from people from countries with a low recognition rate, explained Weil. This is a practical step that has more effect than the debate that has been going on for years about which other countries should be classified as so-called safe countries of origin.
Rhein said they wanted to “come to a harmonization of social benefit standards” for asylum seekers and refugees within the European Union. However, with reference to the Federal Constitutional Court’s requirements for the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, he warned against excessive expectations.
A particular point of contention between the federal and state governments is financing issues. In their decision, the states demand an annual flat rate of 1.25 billion euros from the federal government and at least 10,500 euros per migrant. He should also fully cover the accommodation costs.