For the time being, no fundamental decision on refugee costs

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the beginning of the federal-state summit in the Federal Chancellery. © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

The heads of government of the countries wanted a permanent solution that automatically adapts to the number of asylum seekers. Now there is a one-time increase from the federal government for 2023.

At a refugee summit in the Chancellery, the federal and state governments postponed a fundamental decision on permanently higher federal funds for the financing of accommodation and care for those seeking protection.

As can be seen from the agreement reached by the state premiers with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), the federal government will initially increase the refugee allowance to the states by one billion euros for 2023. This is intended to support the federal states in providing additional relief for their municipalities and financing the digitization of the immigration authorities.

Decision probably not until November

It was agreed that coping with refugee migration is a permanent task of the federal, state and local governments, the participants of the meeting continued. Against this background, the federal and state governments wanted to clarify with each other how the financing of this task could be regulated in the future. A decision on this should be made at a meeting next November.

Members of the Federal Government and the Conference of Minister-Presidents sit in the Federal Chancellery at the beginning of the federal-state summit. © Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

In the first four months of this year, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees received 101,981 first-time asylum applications. This is an increase in the number of applications of around 78 percent compared to the same period last year. Since the beginning of the year, the main countries of origin have been Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Extension of custody

Last year, around 218,000 people applied for asylum in Germany for the first time. In addition, municipalities must accommodate more than one million war refugees from Ukraine. They do not have to apply for asylum.

In order to enforce deportations more consistently, the federal and state governments have agreed to extend the maximum duration of custody from the current 10 to 28 days, Scholz said. According to the information, expanded responsibilities of the Federal Police and an improved exchange of information between judicial and immigration authorities were also agreed. Dpa