According to the Federal Bank, public debt more than doubled between 1989 and 1996. The debt load now stands at over 2 trillion Marks. The Federal Bank says that more than half of that amount is connected with reunification, but adds that that reason cannot apply for an indefinite period. The Italian government has proclaimed an emergency situation in all of Italy, because of the continuing flow of refugees from Albania into the country. The proclamation allows the government to have access to additional funds and to prepare emergency shelter for the refugees more quickly.
Authorities can now also send back any of the refugees who threaten the public order in Italy.
In Bonn, Federal Internal Affairs Minister Kanther instructed German border guards to institute tighter security at German borders, given the situation in Albania. Bavarian Internal Affairs Minister Beckstein has also already ordered tighter controls at the state's borders. The state government has indicated that there are approximately 1,500 officials in place to prevent illegal entry. Beckstein said on North German Radio that efforts should be made to distribute the burden evenly. He reminded listeners that there are up to 15,000 Albanian refugees in Italy now, while Germany alone took in more than 300,000 Bosnian refugees earlier.