New refugee accommodation in Selmsdorf: Upahl closes in autumn!

New refugee accommodation in Selmsdorf: Upahl closes in autumn!

Selmsdorf, Deutschland - In Selmsdorf, a new refugee accommodation next to the sports field is currently being built. Work to prepare containers that offer space for up to 100 refugees have already started. This accommodation will replace the existing facility in Upahl, the building permit of which expires in October. Before the district council in Grevesmühlen, the citizens of Upahl have already organized a vigil in order to commemorate District Administrator Tino Schomann of his promise to close the accommodation in autumn. The Ostsee-Zeitung reports that the district administration also Completion of the new accommodation in Selmsdorf remains followed.

The administrative court in Schwerin recently rejected an urgent application from the municipality of Selmsdorf, which was directed against the building permit granted in March 2025. The construction of the new community accommodation, which is built on an agricultural area, is planned for a period of three years. The decision of the court is expected to be lawful, since the legal requirements, in particular with regard to municipal planning sovereignty and building planning law, are met. In accordance with the provisions of the Building Code, exemptions to accommodate refugees are allowed. [MV-Justice leads from] (https://www.mv- Justice.de/gerichte-und-Mankäranwalten/fachgerichte/vergaltungsgericht/waltungsger-schwerin/?id=211776&processor=processor.sa.PressMaßeilung) that the municipality of Selmsdorf can make the decision by complaining to the senior administrative court Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The Situation of refugee accommodation

Currently, the refugee accommodation in the Northwest Mecklenburg district are around 80 percent. In June, six new refugees were also assigned to the district. These come from Somalia, Russia and Eritrea, which underlines the diversity of the refugee population in the region. The district expects its accommodations to be fully utilized, which means that the current capacities of 75 percent could be reached in the near future. The Statista reports that around 352,000 asylum applications were made in Germany in 2023, a record since 2016, which also illustrates the challenges of regional accommodation.

In addition to the building permit and the new accommodation, there are legal framework conditions in Germany that control the asylum process. Politically persecuted, according to Article 16a of the Basic Law, asylum, while general emergency situations such as poverty are not recognized as reasons for asylum. In this context, it is important that the discussion about refugee accommodation is not only run locally. It also reflects broader European debates on refugee and asylum policy, which often trigger tensions between the Member States

For many refugees who come from crisis areas, safe accommodations such as those in Selmsdorf are indispensable. The continuing war in Ukraine and political crises in countries such as Syria and Eritrea increase the pressure on the asylum systems in Germany and Europe. Regional politics faces the challenge of balancing these needs and at the same time taking the concerns of the residents seriously.