German State Urges Berlin To Seek Fair Distribution Of Ukrainian Refugees Across EU

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2022) Authorities in the southwestern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg are urging the Federal government to lobby fair distribution of Ukrainian refugees in the European Union, having sheltered more Ukrainians than the entire France, German newspaper Bild reported on Sunday, citing local officials.

"We are urgently calling on the federal government to advocate at the European level for a fair and balanced distribution and take appropriate measures to cushion the overstrained reception capacities in the states and municipalities," Siegfried Lorek, Baden-Wurttemberg State Secretary for Justice and Migration, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Baden-Wurttemberg has already accommodated more than 141,000 refugees from Ukraine, the official said.

"This figure puts the federal state ahead of the whole of France," he added.

In November, Justice Minister of Baden-Wurttemberg, Marion Gentges, warned that the state would soon face problems with refugee accommodation, as most facilities were full to the brim.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. The crisis has provoked massive flows of refugees from Ukraine to European countries in search of asylum. According to the UN, over 7.8 million refugees from Ukraine have been staying in Europe, as of November 1, with more than 1 million registered in Germany. Another 4 million were registered in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in September. The UN has put the estimate of Ukrainian refugees in Russia at 2.8 million.