The Conference of Minister Presidents has made progress, particularly in the area of migration, according to its previous chairman Boris Rhein. The states have long agreed "that illegal migration must be limited", said Hesse's head of government Rhein (CDU). The planned introduction of the payment card for refugees was therefore organized under the Hessian presidency. Hesse will hand over the chairmanship to Saxony on October 1.
The new payment card is intended to prevent payments to smugglers or families in the home country, relieve the burden on local authorities and reduce the incentive for irregular migration. According to Rhein, the temporary controls at Germany's external borders would not have been reintroduced without pressure from the federal states.
Federal state demands in migration policy
"Furthermore, we expect the federal government to provide concrete models for the implementation of asylum procedures in third countries, the deportation of criminals and dangerous individuals to Afghanistan and Syria as well as the conclusion of further repatriation agreements," emphasized Rhein. The MPK had agreed on all of this with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
The heads of the federal states had also discussed numerous other important topics. In view of weak economic data and high energy prices, they had "given the federal government clear recommendations for reforms in economic and energy policy, advocated compulsory insurance for natural hazards and decided on relief for farmers", added Rhein. "It was both a mission and an honor for us to be the heart muscle of German federalism for a year."
70-year tradition
Founded in 1954, the MPK usually meets four times a year
to coordinate political steps of cross-state importance and represent them to the federal government. The chairing state organizes the conferences, pools interests and mediates between the states if necessary. The next MPK is scheduled for October 23-25 in Leipzig.
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