Public services and city finances have been stretched to unsustainable levels to accommodate a record number of asylum seekers and local governments need urgent federal relief, General Manager of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities (DStGB), André Berghegger, has said.
Speaking to the Editorial Network Germany (RND), Berghegger emphasized the growing strain on municipal resources. “We lack the financial, personnel, and spatial capacities to accommodate even more people,” he stated, highlighting the urgent need to reduce the influx of asylum seekers.
“It is important for the municipalities that the number of asylum seekers decreases significantly. We urgently need a breath,” he added.
Municipalities continue to struggle with the financial burden of hosting those already within their jurisdictions and more newcomers are arriving every day. Berghegger pointed out the stark discrepancy between federal funding and the actual costs incurred by local governments.
