In consultation with the federal states, Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer has decided on how the first 47 children and young people that Germany has received from Greek island refugee camps are to be allocated among the federal states.

Eighteen unaccompanied minors are to be allocated on the basis of existing family ties in Germany (Baden-Württemberg: 4, Bavaria: 2, Hesse: 6, North Rhine-Westphalia: 2, Schleswig-Holstein: 2, Saxony-Anhalt: 2). Of the unaccompanied children and young people without family ties, 13 will remain in Lower Saxony, while eight will go to Berlin and eight to Hamburg.

The Catholic and Protestant churches have also expressed their willingness to provide considerable assistance with receiving the minors and supporting them in everyday life.

The group’s quarantine ends on 1 May 2020, after which they can be allocated among the federal states.

The unaccompanied minors arrived at Hanover Airport on 18 April 2020 and were initially accommodated in Lower Saxony during a two-week period of quarantine. The decision about their allocation was based on existing family ties, the children’s well-being, and the federal states’ having expressed their willingness to take them in.