"This knee-jerk action is leading to a considerable worsening of the already extremely tense accommodation situation on the ground. We are calling on the state to finally recognize the dramatic nature of the situation and create at least 5,000 additional places in the state's initial reception facilities in the short term. Furthermore, the state must increase the lump sum to at least 10,000 euros immediately and without waiting any longer for the federal government," declared Lower Saxony's leading municipal associations NLT, NSGB and NST.

The umbrella associations were annoyed that the Ministry of the Interior was carrying out such a distribution campaign five working days after the last top-level meeting between the presidents of the associations and the Minister of the Interior, without the issue having been discussed in advance or even announced.

They also rejected the impression that the local authorities could take in the refugees without any problems or that they had to be encouraged by the state to meet their admission quotas. If the state is already getting rid of its problems in the reception facilities in the short term, it should not also denounce supposed problems in the municipalities.

"We are currently receiving reports from our members that the previous community-based allocation of refugees is no longer taking place and that refugees are simply being bussed to the front door of the district halls. The responsibility for forwarding them to the municipalities is then passed on to the districts. The state abandons its efforts to ensure orderly initial reception and limits itself to simply passing asylum seekers through. Responsibility for the state's asylum policy is being passed downwards in an unacceptable manner and the municipalities are largely left to deal with the problems on their own," representatives of the three associations unanimously stated.