Refugee Integration Federation urged to provide additional funding, as per request by Pistorius
In a recent statement, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister, Boris Pistorius (SPD), has urged the federal government to provide reliable funding for refugee integration costs. Pistorius emphasised that municipalities are under considerable pressure due to these costs, and states alone cannot bear the burden.
Pistorius did not propose any new funding initiatives from the federal government in his statement. He did, however, highlight the complexity of the situation when documents are missing or the countries of origin refuse to take back their citizens.
Integration, according to Pistorius, requires money, and he reiterated that failed integration costs even more. He identified two main issues in dealing with refugees in Germany: integration takes time and costs money, and there are still problems returning migrants who have no residence status and no prospects in Germany.
The federal government's reduction of some traditional humanitarian assistance funding, announced in May 2025 by German Development Minister Svenja Schulze, suggests a strategic reduction in funding that likely includes funds for refugee-related assistance. Official data shows that Germany, one of the largest donors in official development assistance (ODA), is part of an overall downward trend in ODA funding for 2025.
Asylum applications to Germany have dropped substantially in 2025 compared to previous years, which may influence the funding priorities and scale of integration programs within Germany. However, no specific figure for the current total federal funding amount for refugee integration in Germany was found in the provided sources.
Despite the reduction in funding, Pistorius emphasised that the federal government significantly reduced funds for refugee integration last year. He did not provide any updates on the status of missing documents or cooperation from countries of origin in this regard.
In summary, Lower Saxony's Interior Minister, Boris Pistorius, has called for reliable funding for refugee integration from the federal government. The federal government's reduction of some humanitarian assistance funds, combined with a drop in asylum applications, suggests a reduction in funding for refugee integration compared to the previous year, but exact funding amounts specifically for refugee integration are not provided in the available data.
- The general news regarding Lower Saxony's call for funding from the federal government raises questions about the future policy-and-legislation surrounding refugee integration, given the federal government's reduction in humanitarian assistance funds and the decreased number of asylum applications.
- In the context of politics, the complexities in returning migrants who have no residence status and no prospects in Germany and the lack of reliable funding for refugee integration, as highlighted by Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Boris Pistorius, underscores the need for other solutions to ensure successful integration.
