Germany's deputy government leader said Monday that Germany must raise spending on police, education, and childcare by at least $5.45 billion in order to successfully integrate record numbers of asylum-seekers and maintain social order.
Europe's most populous country and biggest economy has taken in some 1.1 million refugees over the past year, far more than any other European state.
Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel of the Social Democrats (SPD), the coalition partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, said that integrating the mostly Muslim asylum-seekers into German society is necessary to avoid social strife.
"We can only manage the double task of integration, namely accommodating the new arrivals and also preserving the cohesion of our society, if we have a strong state capable of acting," Gabriel said.
"We need an additional 9,000 police in Germany, 25,000 new teachers and 15,000 daycare workers," Gabriel said.
He called for a joint effort from federal and state levels to share the task of integrating the refugees as their asylum applications are approved, highlighting a need for increased public housing funds.
The proposal arose in part from the public outrage over numerous sexual attacks on women, many perpetrated by migrants, in Cologne on New Year's Eve.
In 2015 Germany achieved a $13.1 billion surplus, and the budget windfall is expected to be put toward managing the refugee influx.
