Brandenburg is not planning a joint refugee center in Oranienburg!

Brandenburg is not planning a joint refugee center in Oranienburg!

Refugee policy is simmering in Brandenburg. Current reports indicate that the state is not planning a joint arrival center for refugees with Berlin in Oranienburg. On Monday, the Interior Ministry in Potsdam vehemently rejected speculation that had been published in several newspapers. A spokeswoman emphasized that such projects were not currently being planned, which came as a surprise to many.

The discussion about an arrival center in Oranienburg was sparked by reports from the Berlin courier and the “Berliner Morgenpost”. They pointed out that such a center could offer up to 3,000 places and the operating costs would be less than 100 million euros per year. This is an attractive offer when you consider the running costs of the current refugee center on the site of the former Tegel Airport, where the state of Berlin is facing high costs.

Clarity about Tegel and new options

The situation at Tegel Airport is not that easy because a move is required there. The area will soon be converted into the Urban Tech Republic science and business park, which will require a quick move. There was originally much discussion about a new location near the Karl Bonhoeffer Mental Hospital in Reinickendorf, but this plan was rejected due to a lack of space.

The political landscape is divided. While the CDU supports the plan for a joint arrival center in Oranienburg, the SPD is more cautious. The background is the over 300 million euros that were blocked in the supplementary budget for an arrival center at Tegel Airport. A joint project could even have cost a billion euros over five years.

Brandenburg's own plans

However, the federal state of Brandenburg has clear plans for support in the area of ​​refugee reception. A new authority center with a deportation detention center is currently being expanded near the future BER airport in Schönefeld. Brandenburg also wants to work with Berlin here, where 20 places are to be reserved especially for people who are obliged to leave the country.

The situation surrounding refugee accommodation in Brandenburg once again shows the complicated intertwining of politics and administration. Citizens can only hope that faster and more sensible solutions will be found to both offer refugees adequate protection and keep the costs for the countries within an acceptable range.