Asylum plans Baume-Schneider are delayed: Council of States stops container villages

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The federal and cantonal asylum centers have been full for months. In April, the Bundesrat commissioned a concept for extra temporary accommodation so that there are still sufficient places available in the autumn. Costs: more than 130 million Swiss francs.

Because it is assumed that up to 30,000 people will apply for asylum in Switzerland this year, Justice and Police of Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (59) wanted to make preparations and, if necessary, create additional housing in container villages.

Civil defense systems are preferred

The Bundesrat welcomed the idea and offered Parliament a precautionary loan of CHF 132.9 million for temporary asylum accommodation. The Council of States rejected this on Wednesday.

Without long debate, the Council of States came to the conclusion on Wednesday that this loan should not be approved. The day before, the financial politicians of the Council of States had heard representatives of the army and the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).

People wondered “how we deal with those civil defense systems that are in place in the country, which are decentralized, which can be mobilized quickly and which are also reasonable for the first housing”, central councilor Benedikt Würth (55) mused in the council. The federal government is only responsible for the initial housing, ie the first 140 days. For this time, you can expect the refugees to have such a facility.

The army wants to use its own barracks

That is not a good idea, said SP council member Eva Herzog (61). According to the 2016 emergency asylum plan, the federal government and the cantons have agreed that civil protection facilities should be primarily available to the cantons. “In the current tense situation, the federal government should not compete with the cantons,” says Herzog.

In addition, the army informed the financial politicians that they would like to have places back that they had previously made available for the reception of displaced people. It is all the more dependent on additional places.

Marianne Lienhard (54), Vice President of the Conference of Social Directors of the Cantons and Government Councilor Glarus, sees it this way: “It may seem obvious that the federal government would occupy civil protection facilities in an emergency. But the cantons need these.” They also find themselves in a “tense and sometimes precarious” situation in terms of housing.

The National Council will now advise on the container loan on Thursday. The Finance preliminary advisory committee is in favor of this: “We have to fear that otherwise we will not have enough places in the winter – that cannot be in the interest of the States Council and the cantons,” says Roland Fischer. (58, GLP), Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Council to watch. In order to continue to count on an orderly asylum process, it is necessary to create more capacity.

SEM was already planning container villages

If the National Council also rejects the loan, consultations will be sought with the cantons, cities and municipalities, according to the SEM. Together with them, we look at what other possibilities there are to offer extra living space in the area of ​​asylum. “Of course there will also be civil protection shelters, as is also desired by the Council of States,” says SEM spokesman Daniel Bach.

Only Tuesday did the State Secretariat of Baume-Schneider announce that it wants to set up container settlements on the army sites in Thun BE, Bière VD, Turtmann VS and Bure JU. With the decision of the small room, this is on edge.

Source:Blick