Erfurt (dpa/th) - In view of the high number of refugees and declining capacities in the municipalities, the Thuringian CDU parliamentary group is calling for Ukrainian refugees to be accommodated in state-owned buildings. "Because red-red-green does not provide relief, one municipality after the other has to stop admissions," criticized the migration policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, Stefan Schard, in a statement on Friday. He cited the former Wismut hospital in Gera and a hall in Hermsdorf (Saale-Holzland district) as examples of possible further accommodation. Schard explained that the municipalities were "at the end".

Shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the FDP group in the Thuringian state parliament had already advocated making the former Wismut hospital available for Ukrainian refugees. A spokesman for the Ministry of Migration said there were no plans for this. An operator has been sought for the hall in Hermsdorf for a long time. A first tender was unsuccessful, meanwhile a new, modified tender is running.

Meanwhile, the initial reception facility in Suhl in southern Thuringia is reaching its capacity limits. According to a spokesman for the state administration office, there were 1,275 residents as of Friday, with around 1,370 places available. The Funke Medien Thüringen newspapers had previously reported on it. A facility in Eisenberg, which was originally intended to accommodate Afghan local workers, has 25 people. There are about 100 seats there. According to the state administration office, setting up tents is also conceivable in Suhl.