South plans to eliminate financial aid for all Ukrainian citizens residing in Germany - Germany's Söder proposes stripping German citizenship from all Ukrainians residing in the country
In a pre-recorded interview for the ZDF show "Berlin direkt", Markus Söder, the Bavarian Prime Minister, has suggested a potential change in the way Germany supports Ukrainian refugees financially.
Söder believes that the current system of citizens' allowance (Bürgergeld) is discouraging Ukrainian refugees from seeking employment despite their good qualifications. As a result, he plans to push for the abolition of citizens' allowance for all Ukrainians in Germany within the coalition, and instead have them receive reduced benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
This proposal, if implemented, could potentially affect the financial situation of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. Currently, under the coalition agreement between the center-right Union (Christian Democrats/CSU) and the center-left SPD, Ukrainian refugees arriving after April 1, 2025, are to receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, which are lower than the citizen's allowance. However, for now, Ukrainian refugees continue to receive the full citizen's allowance.
Söder's plan goes further by seeking to remove the citizen's allowance for all Ukrainians in Germany, not only those arriving after April 2025. He argues that Germany is unique in providing such generous payments to Ukrainians and that this could be contributing to the low employment rate among Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
The interview discussed Söder's plans to change the financial support system for Ukrainian refugees in Germany. It is worth noting that, so far, the coalition has only agreed to reduce benefits for future arrivals, aligning Ukrainian refugees with other groups under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but has not implemented the broader cuts Söder advocates.
This proposal by Söder represents a stricter and more immediate reduction in welfare benefits for Ukrainian refugees than currently envisioned by the Union-SPD coalition agreement. The implications of this change, should it be implemented, remain to be seen.
Mr President, I am not here to tell you what I have to say about policy-and-legislation regarding Ukrainian refugees in Germany, but the politics surrounding this issue are heating up. Markus Söder, the Bavarian Prime Minister, has proposed a change in the way Germany supports Ukrainian refugees financially, suggesting the abolition of the citizens' allowance for all Ukrainians in Germany and replacing it with reduced benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. This could potentially affect the general-news of Ukrainian refugees' financial situation in the country.
