"The Federal Government's track record in supporting the federal states and local authorities in the reception, accommodation, including the provision of accommodation, integration and education of refugees and displaced persons is extremely poor: the costs of accommodating people who have fled to us and the costs of providing accommodation are not fully offset. There is a complete lack of federal funding for the integration and education of refugees and displaced persons. The so-called financial support reaches the municipalities in homeopathic doses and only irregularly - depending on the federal government's cash situation. The BImA real estate list does not help us at all. And finally, we have not made a single millimetre of progress with regard to the protection of the EU's external borders and thus against illegal migration and the management of migration within the EU," summarizes the President of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities, Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel (City of Salzgitter): "While Berlin is examining and setting up further working groups, the main administrative officials are up to their necks in water. Valid results must finally be put on the table."

"The top priority is that the municipalities must receive substantial and continuous support," said the Vice President of the Association of Cities and Towns of Lower Saxony, Lord Mayor Jürgen Krogmann (City of Oldenburg): "The Association of Cities and Towns of Lower Saxony is calling for the full and permanent financing of the municipal burdens of immigration policy from the federal and state governments as well as the reimbursement of municipal integration costs. The financial support must be dynamically adapted to the rising number of refugees and made permanent - the local situation must also be taken into account. The federal states must pass on the funds without us having to negotiate for another six months."

"We still need streamlined immigration procedures," demands Klingebiel: "The responsible immigration authorities urgently need to be relieved. Changes to residence law, comprehensive digitalization of the immigration authorities, improved involvement of the federal states and municipal umbrella organizations in the federal government's legislative processes on residence law and ways to improve the staffing situation in the municipal immigration authorities are high on the list of priorities."

According to NST Vice President Jürgen Krogmann (Lord Mayor of the City of Oldenburg), the influx of refugees has posed a considerable challenge for local authorities, particularly in terms of accommodation: "The federal and state governments must significantly expand their reception capacities and also maintain them on a permanent basis ("breathing system"). At the same time, the federal government must also build up its own accommodation capacities for initial reception in a coordinated concept between the levels in order to relieve the burden on the federal states and local authorities when there are high numbers of new arrivals and then distribute them fairly."

"On all these points, we are also relying on the support and strength of the state government of Lower Saxony, which has also formulated high expectations," said Klingebiel: "Now the federal and state governments have to deliver. We are looking forward to Berlin on May 10, 2023."