German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has called for a fairer distribution of war refugees from Ukraine in the European Union, noting that if the war continues, countries taking the bulk of the refugees will have to be assisted.
Faeser told the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe on Friday that “if there are further large-scale refugee movements from Ukraine, there must be a fairer distribution in Europe.
“Then our Eastern European neighbours, but also we, will need some kind of support.’’
Poland, which has nearly 40 million residents, has so far taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees.
She said Germany, with a population of 84.3 million has taken in more than 1 million, but Spain, whose population at 47.6 million larger than Poland’s, had provided refuge for only 160,000 Ukrainians.
“It can’t stay like this, Friday is the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Faeser said.
Faeser is facing pressure from Germany’s state governments as they demand more financial help from Berlin due to the increased numbers of refugees and asylum seekers.
She said the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz , herself and the heads of state governments will continue “to negotiate on this at Easter.”
The German Association of Cities and Towns has called on the federal and state governments to quickly expand aid for the reception of refugees.
There is still a great willingness to help among the population, said the president of the association, Markus Lewe.
“To keep it that way, help must come quickly,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
At the same time, Lewe called for greater solidarity in Europe. “Poland and Germany have taken in about half of the Ukrainian refugees in the EU.
“An equal distribution of all refugees within the EU would be necessary.’’ (NAN)