From the BZ editorial team
A step towards agreement at the refugee summit!
After long discussions and intermittent interruptions, the federal-state meeting in the Chancellery ended.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (64, SPD) and the state leaders Stephan Weil (64, SPD, Lower Saxony) and Hendrik Wüst (47, CDU, NRW) are currently providing information on the results at a press conference.
Before that, there was a heated argument about money. Because: The federal states wanted several billion euros from the federal government in order to meet the challenges posed by the immense flow of refugees.
The federal and state governments have now agreed on a new distribution of refugee costs, as Scholz explained. According to this, the federal government will pay one billion euros more for the states and municipalities for the year 2023 because of the increased number of refugees.
“Our country is facing a major challenge,” said Scholz at the press conference, describing the summit as “constructive and good”.
BUT: The federal and state governments are postponing their fundamental decision on permanently higher federal funds for refugee costs!
That is clear from the decision. The basic decision should therefore be made at the next regular meeting in November.
Seldom before has there been so much trouble in the run-up to a meeting between the federal and state governments. It was bumpy even before the start. The summit started more than an hour late. The internal meetings of the prime ministers intended for preparation have been delayed, as has a press conference by the state leaders Weil (Lower Saxony) and Wüst (NRW).
Gerd Landsberg (70), head of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, told BILD: “The compromise that has been reached with a billion more for this year and another postponement is at best a consolation prize. The municipalities are disappointed – a long-term new strategy in migration policy that is necessary has not succeeded.”