After the municipal elections and the elections of the new magistrate, the city council in Frankfurt found work and made two key political decisions.

On the one hand, the city declared itself a “safe haven” for those seeking protection on Thursday evening and wants to take in refugees beyond the so-called Königsteiner key.

That was decided by the new Roman coalition of the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt in the city parliament.

It is the first joint decision made by the new city government after extensive debate.

In the past, the request had failed because of the negative attitude of the CDU parliamentary group.

Mechthild Harting

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Martin Benninghoff

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Of course, 1200 drowned refugees in the Mediterranean were a "human catastrophe" this year alone, said the CDU city councilor Verena David, and people had to be rescued from distress at sea.

But the CDU was still of the opinion that the city of Frankfurt should not accept people beyond the obligations under the quota system for the initial distribution of asylum seekers.

In Frankfurt there are more than 4,000 refugees in shared accommodation.

"Responsible politics" is to accept people when you can offer them "serious prospects as Frankfurters".

"An affair of the heart"

For Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg (The Greens), on the other hand, it is “a big step”, an “affair of the heart” that Frankfurt “finally” joins the alliance of “Safe Haven” cities in order to push the state and federal government, in addition to Quota of refugees seeking protection. The decision is a "public declaration of solidarity," said Christoph Rosenbaum (The Greens). The aim is to end the "catastrophic situation on the European borders". Frankfurt has space. Yanki Pürsün (FDP) confirmed: “Everyone who gets into distress at sea must be rescued.” Frankfurt must “live up to its humanitarian responsibility”.

The magistrate knows the housing market in Frankfurt, said social department head Elke Voitl (The Greens).

But together, the city councils of the new city government would take on the challenge of providing land and buildings in order to create reception facilities there.

Voluntary police service is to be abolished

In addition, as expected, the city council decided with the votes of the coalition majority to terminate the coordination agreement with the state of Hesse on the deployment of the voluntary police service in Frankfurt.

The emergency service was introduced in 2007 to increase security in the city.

The new coalition is of the opinion that "regulatory measures are to be carried out by professionally trained people," says the motion that the parliamentary groups of the Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt have introduced to the city council.

Objections came from the CDU and AfD.

The police also criticized the decision: The deployment of the helpers was "exemplary and reliable," said Police President Gerhard Bereswill.