Baden-Württemberg: State and municipalities agree on refugee costs

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - In the second attempt, the state and municipalities have agreed on the distribution of the costs for the Ukrainian refugees in the south-west. Representatives of the state government and of the city, community and district councils agreed on Friday evening in the Joint Finance Commission, as the German Press Agency learned from negotiating circles in Stuttgart. It was initially unclear what the agreement specifically covered. The background to the negotiations was that many refugees have been receiving Hartz IV benefits since June 1 and are no longer classified as asylum seekers. As a result of this system change, cities and municipalities have additional financial needs. The municipalities insisted that the state take over further costs.