Giffey demands that the federal government assume all of the integration costs

Berlin With a view to taking in the war refugees from Ukraine, Berlin’s governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) is calling for the federal government to assume all of the integration costs. The federal government currently bears 75 percent of the integration costs for daycare and school as well as the costs of accommodation. “We want the federal government to cover all the costs, like in 2015,” said Giffey, who is also deputy chair of the Prime Ministers’ Conference, to the Handelsblatt.

The SPD politician also wants the Ukraine refugees to no longer be cared for under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but to receive basic security benefits. “The expectation is that the individual service will not be provided via the social welfare offices and the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but that the care will be processed via the job center in accordance with Book II of the Social Code,” said Giffey. “This means that the refugees can get German courses and better integration into the labor market, and health care is guaranteed.” That must be provided by the federal government.