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Ironically, the most important project of the new SP federal councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (59) failed with a bang. The Minister of Justice wanted to build container villages on army sites and create 3,000 places for asylum seekers. Cost point: 133 million Swiss francs.
But the Council of States rejected the plan. And Baume-Schneider has to start all over again. What’s next?
imminent collapse
Internal documents from the Special Asylum Staff, a crisis committee made up of representatives from the federal government and the cantons, show how tense the atmosphere is behind the scenes. If an alternative to the container villages is not found quickly, the federal government will no longer be able to fully fulfill its asylum tasks, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The cantons and municipalities are already on the attack.
On June 14, the central players of the asylum system gathered in the Bernerhof in the capital: leaders of the Ministry of Justice, the army, the social sector. The Jura Magistrate Baume-Schneider was also present. She made clear the seriousness of the situation and suggested an “extraordinary meeting” for the end of August. Representatives of the Confederation, the directors of justice, police and social affairs of the cantons and the heads of municipalities and cities must meet. The aim is an “exchange on retirement planning” before the next parliamentary session. SEM spokesman Reto Kormann confirms that the meeting is planned “after the summer holidays”.
Time is running out. According to forecasts by the asylum officials, a bottleneck threatens as early as September. Kormann: “If the number of asylum applications were to increase sharply from July at the same reception capacity, the capacities could be exhausted by mid-September.”
How can additional places be created? The Special Asylum Staff has already taken the first steps: the SEM must rent civil protection facilities from the cantons and, if necessary, operate them as small federal asylum centers. Which also means that the federal government provides employment programs, education for the children and medical care.
Civil defense bunkers are still used
The new plan is a turnaround. At a meeting on 1 June, representatives of the Special Staff clearly opposed this option. The protocol, which SonntagsBlick saw on the basis of the Public Information Act, states: “From the point of view of the special staff, shelters for civil protection are not an option. According to the emergency plan, these are mainly available to the cantons as a housing reserve and are urgently needed for them in an emergency.”
The fact that the cantons are jumping on the side of the federal government is likely to further strain an already tense mood. Gaby Szöllösy, secretary general of the conference of cantonal social directors, praises the “good, constructive cooperation”, but at the same time demands that the federal government refrain from requiring the cantons to co-finance the operation of federal facilities: “This contradicts the well-established division of labor and there is no legal basis for it.”
In addition, the State Secretariat for Migration must refrain from prematurely allocating asylum seekers to the cantons. Szöllösy: “You undermine the system of accelerated procedures.”
SEM spokesman Kormann says: “The federal government and the cantons are trying to close ranks, although the protection systems based on the emergency asylum ordinance would be reserved for the cantons.” The aim is to create a total of 3,000 additional accommodation places by early autumn – also to avoid premature allocation to the cantons. However, the federal government cannot rule this out, even if the additional places are added quickly.
In addition to the cantons, the army should therefore also help. According to the special staff, the federal government will examine with the army in the coming weeks to what extent troop accommodation can be used. The army already provides 3,800 temporary residences to the SEM. This despite the fact that space is also scarce in the army.
Just a few weeks ago, the Department of Defense (DDPS) warned: In a letter to the Finance Commission of the Council of States, the people of Viola Amherd pointed out the danger that recruiting schools can no longer be fully implemented if the military is to continue to provide in so many places.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
