Klingebiel is pleased to note: "In my many discussions over the last few months with the heads of the Lower Saxony state government and the Lower Saxony state politicians on both the SPD and CDU sides, I was able to make the financially and structurally very, very difficult situation of the city of Salzgitter and the associated enormous challenges for the future very clear as a result of the dramatic slump in trade tax and, in particular, the refugee situation, and to awaken a willingness to provide support. The decision by Interior Minister Pistorius, for which I am very grateful, is a first clear signal that the state of Lower Saxony wants to help the city of Salzgitter in the long term and is rewarding the city's own consolidation efforts."

The total approval amount of € 7.0 million is divided into a residual payment of € 2.0 million from 2017 and € 5.0 million for the 2018 approval process. In the 2017 and 2018 approval process, the approval criteria of "exceptional situation", "particular financial weakness" and "special need" of the city of Salzgitter were determined by the Ministry of the Interior to be met.

Klingebiel explains: "For every euro of needs-based allocation from the state, the city of Salzgitter must make a permanent financial contribution of its own in the same amount. On 25.04.2018, the council adopted a consolidation target with a package of measures and implemented it in full with the budget resolution on 19.12.2018 for the years 2019/2020. In particular, the Ministry of the Interior considers its own will to consolidate the budget to be sufficiently documented in the needs-based allocation approval process by increasing the real tax assessment rates to the state average as of 01/01/2019."

Against the backdrop of the city's dramatic budget situation, the Ministry of the Interior expects the city of Salzgitter to continue to demonstrate strict spending discipline and to exploit all of its own revenue opportunities.

Klingebiel adds: "We will continue to make our own contribution to consolidation, but in order to overcome the special structural challenges of the future, especially in view of the enormous integration tasks still to be carried out in Salzgitter over the coming years, we need permanent and sustainable state support that goes beyond these individual grants from the Minister of the Interior."