The reception and care of the Ukrainian refugees will cost the state of Hesse up to 800 million euros this year.

This was announced by Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) on Friday after the joint meeting of the Prime Ministers with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

Bouffier made it clear that he does not consider the federal government's promised contribution to the costs to be sufficient.

"I'm glad that we at least got that sorted," he said of the agreements made on Thursday evening, according to which the federal government would provide a total of two billion euros for the federal states.

The refugees from Ukraine, many of whom are children, need different help than the mostly young men who came in 2015, explained the Prime Minister and said: "We have to create day care places and teach the children in schools." The country assumes an average of 2,500 euros per refugee and month, the Hessian city association calculates with 3,500 euros.

Bouffier explained the difference with different cost estimates.

In the future, the federal government will bear the costs of health care for refugees from Ukraine, which is why he considers the country's approach to be realistic.

500 million to the municipalities

More than 10,000 refugees are currently registered in Hesse.

However, according to Bouffier, this number must be viewed with caution because it is increasing every day.

Because many Ukrainian refugees are staying with friends and relatives and are therefore not yet registered, the Prime Minister also expects that there are already more people seeking protection in Hesse than previously known.

"We cannot leave these people in town houses or in containers, we also have to create living space," said the Prime Minister, describing the creation of new apartments as "the greatest challenge of all".

Additional living space will only exist if the building regulations are simplified.

Negotiations are currently under way with the municipalities about how and where mobile housing units could be built.

In addition, the professional qualifications of the Ukrainians must be recognized as quickly as possible, because many of them want to work.

Bouffier also spoke out in favor of employing people in Hesse's schools who speak Ukrainian and were active in education.

"The most important thing is that the children are educated," emphasized the Prime Minister.

Since it had been agreed that the Ukrainian refugees should be treated like recognized refugees, help, such as job placement or language courses, could be provided from a single source from June.

"It was difficult to convey to the federal government that we cannot do it alone," he said of the financial burden.

In the end, however, the federal government recognized this position and promised to contribute the two billion euros.

500 million euros will go to the municipalities as a subsidy for the costs of accommodation.

City day expects “full funding from the federal and state governments”

From June 1, Ukrainians are to be treated as recognized refugees.

For the transitional period from the beginning of March to June, the federal government will pay a flat rate of 500 million euros to the federal states.

According to Bouffier, the Hessian share is around 40 million.

"That is only a fraction of what we have already spent," said the Prime Minister.

Another billion is earmarked for all other tasks, such as daycare places, school and health.

Hesse's share of this is around 80 million euros.

Bouffier also criticized the failure to reach an agreement on the treatment of refugees who did not come from Ukraine.

"I would have liked us to clarify that right away, because in Hesse we took in more people from countries outside of Ukraine in the first three months of this year than in all of last year," said Bouffier.

A solution to this problem should be worked out by June 2nd.

"We expect full funding from the federal and state governments," said the President of the Hessian Association of Cities, the Mayor of Fulda, Heiko Wingenfeld (CDU), on Thursday and explained: "We expect that people will not go to the city as quickly as originally assumed cities can and want to go back to some of the completely destroyed cities.” The city council calculates the costs of 3,500 euros per refugee per month, as a spokesman confirmed on Friday when asked.

In addition, there would be around 1000 euros in investment costs per person seeking protection for accommodation.

The FDP parliamentary group in the state parliament is now calling for the appointment of a state coordinator for the care of refugees.

"The coordinator must communicate across departments and ensure that