Safe Port Jena
Submitters
Heike Döbler and Dr. Beatrice Osdrowski
Brief description of the proposal
Since 10.04.2019, Jena is officially a "Safe Harbor" thanks to a city council resolution.
This means:
The city of Jena declares its solidarity with people on the run and the goals of the SEEBRÜCKE.
The city of Jena ensures the quick and uncomplicated reception and accommodation of people rescued from distress at sea in addition to the distribution quota of people seeking protection: The city of Jena declares its willingness to directly receive and accommodate people rescued from distress at sea, for example from a civilian rescue boat, similar to a relocation program. This reception is in addition to the distribution quota of asylum seekers. For this purpose, an agreement will be reached with the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Sport, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and the Federal State of Thuringia.
In view of the current situation at the so-called EU external borders, but also in the initial reception facility Suhl, we call on the city of Jena to take seriously the self-commitment as a "safe haven" and to accept refugees from Suhl or Greece.
Our application to the participatory budget is to make this commitment visible to the public. At all entrances to Jena there should be signs indicating that Jena is a Safe Haven. On the one hand we want to mark Jena as a solidary city for all visitors and/or people passing through and on the other hand we want to invite other cities and municipalities to follow this example. We are proud to live in a city that professes to be Safe Harbor, but also demand the further ratification of the resolution of 10.04.2019.
The following are still outstanding:
Active support of sea rescue:
The City of Jena publicly positions itself against the criminalization of sea rescue in the Mediterranean, actively supports it and sponsors or participates in the sponsorship and financial support of a civilian sea rescue vessel.
Support reception programmes:
The City of Jena advocates to its own state and the federal government for the establishment of new or the significant expansion of existing programs for the legal reception of refugees and offers additional reception places itself for this purpose:
The City of Jena calls on the government of the Federal State of Thuringia to introduce an independent humanitarian reception programme for refugees in accordance with Section 23 (1) of the Residence Act (AufenthG), thus enabling refugees to enter and stay in Germany legally.
The city of Jena calls upon the government of the federal state of Thuringia and the federal government to agree on considerably higher admission quotas on a permanent and reliable basis within the framework of the resettlement programme pursuant to section 23, paragraph 4 of the Residence Act and other programmes for the legal admission of refugees. Only in this way can Germany fulfil its responsibility to spare people from fleeing along dangerous illegal routes.
The City of Jena declares its willingness to the Federal State of Thuringia and the Federal Government to reliably provide additional reception places for people entering these programmes.
In addition, the city is lobbying through the state for the deletion of sentence 3 of section 23 (1) of the Residence Act, which would remove the requirement for federal approval for refugee admission.
Jena calls for the introduction of an independent norm on municipal reception corresponding to § 23 para. 1 AufenthG for independent reception by the Länder.
Ensure municipal arrival:
The city of Jena ensures long-term arrival by providing all necessary resources for decent care, especially in the areas of housing, medical care and education.
National and European networking:
The City of Jena is actively engaged at regional, national and European level to implement the above.
Safe Harbours Alliance:
The city of Jena participates in the foundation of an alliance of all Safe Ports in Europe to actively shape a European migration policy in line with human rights.
To actually make the city of Jena a Safe Haven in the sense described above is not the task of politics alone, but of the entire civil society. We ourselves want to participate in the implementation together with the civil population of Jena within the framework of the SEEBRÜCKE local group Jena i. Gr. Since 2015, there has been a great voluntary commitment in Jena for the reception of refugees and their integration into our society. The "Safe Haven Jena" signs are meant to remind us all again and again not to slacken in our commitment to
human rights, and at the same time be a sign of appreciation for this commitment.
The erection of the signs as well as the actions and events on this occasion are also essentially supported and realized by voluntary commitment.
Costs
4.800 €
Opinion of the administration
The proposal is invalid.
It cannot be implemented for financial reasons.
Since it concerns an installation and/or an attachment in the public area, whereby also insurance-legal consequences result, this must be made inevitably also by the city. Thereby costs per pole of approx. 250-300 € arise.
In addition it must be reckoned with the fact that higher maintenance costs and care costs can develop. For example, a cleaning of graffiti costs at least 70 € and increases depending on the degree and type of spraying.