Salzgitter in the financial crisis: Asylum seekers should work for integration!

Salzgitter in the financial crisis: Asylum seekers should work for integration!

The city of Salzgitter is facing a financial challenge that not only affects its coffers, but also its social structures. Mayor Frank Klingebiel (CDU) has taken a clear position and described migration policy as a core factor for the current financial misery. There is currently a municipal deficit of around 4 billion euros in Lower Saxony, while the whole of Germany is struggling with a mountain of around 30 billion euros. “The cries for help from the municipalities were ignored for a long time,” said Klingebiel, who has been in office for almost 20 years and is considered the longest-serving mayor in Lower Saxony.

The causes of these financial bottlenecks are diverse. Klingebiel argues that new tasks are passed on to the municipalities without sufficient funding. An example of this is full-day care, which will be mandatory from 2026 and which municipalities will have to cover themselves. Despite creative solutions, such as involving volunteers or cooperation with sports clubs, this remains a temporary answer to a permanent problem. The city of Salzgitter, heavily influenced by industry, especially Salzgitter AG and Volkswagen, is planning a deficit of around 45 million euros for 2025 and 2026, which could now rise to 70 to 80 million euros.

Migration as a challenge

Mayor Klingebiel emphasizes that the deficits in Salzgitter are not home-made, but determined by others. Migration has a significant impact on the municipal crisis – both financially and through a loss of trust in the state. A dramatic example: In Salzgitter, 80 to 95 percent of the children enrolled in school do not speak German. This shows how important a targeted integration policy is. The council has now decided to require around 80 asylum seekers to do community service work in order to promote integration and address the shortage of skilled workers.

In Germany, the integration of people with migration and refugee backgrounds has been a state task since the Immigration Act of 2005 and is seen in an overall context by the federal, state and local governments. Cities and municipalities play a crucial role in this as they can adapt integration to local conditions. The proportion of people with a migrant background is significantly higher in urban regions at 32.4% than in rural areas (16.0%). Studies show that integration is now a central future task for many municipalities, which must go hand in hand with other political areas.

Setting the course for the future

However, the current situation is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity. Migration can help overcome demographic challenges. The President of the BDI, Siegfried Russwurm, calls for a welcoming culture for workers in order to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers. It is becoming increasingly clear that urban regions are developing more integration concepts than rural ones. Of the 400 districts and independent cities in Germany, 221 already have such a concept that is intended to promote the participation of all people. For example, the Lippe district in North Rhine-Westphalia has implemented exemplary integration measures.

Whether and to what extent Salzgitter can benefit from these experiences is another matter. A planned special summit on municipal financing in the first quarter of 2024 could set the course for the future. But until then, uncertainty remains great: the city has dug deep into debt - the total debt amounts to almost 490 million euros. Without solutions that focus on citizens and promote genuine coexistence, the system threatens to collapse.

Overall, it is clear that integration policy and municipal finances are inextricably linked. And the challenges in Salzgitter are important both locally and nationally. Social cohesion in a diverse society can only be achieved by working together.

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