Recommendation requested for a work safety guideline aimed at shielding employees from potential harmful radiation exposure.
In a bid to reduce spending and align benefits more closely with those of other asylum seekers, Germany plans to reduce social support for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees starting April 1, 2025.
Under the proposed changes, Ukrainian refugees will no longer receive the full citizens' allowance (Bürgergeld), but instead, lower benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. This move is expected to cut monthly payments by about 100 euros per person.
The citizens' allowance in Germany is a federal welfare payment ensuring a minimum standard of living, while the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act offers lower social assistance specifically for asylum seekers.
The proposal, supported by politicians like Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, aims to address the perceived incentives for unemployment among Ukrainian refugees. Currently, around 1.25 million Ukrainians live in Germany, with roughly 64% unemployed or seeking work.
In comparison with other European countries, Germany's current high level of cash benefits for Ukrainians stands out as comparatively generous. France, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic generally offer fewer and lower cash benefits, primarily focusing on basic subsistence and integration services.
The German draft law reducing benefits must still pass the Federal Government and the Bundesrat to take effect, likely by the end of 2025.
Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, who also supports the changes, questions the state's spending of money, citing examples of people receiving money unnecessarily. Kretschmer believes that the current spending on citizens' allowance is too high and needs to be reduced.
Kretschmer specifically mentions a higher proportion of working people among Ukrainian refugees in France, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic compared to Germany. The current spending on citizens' allowance in Germany is 47 billion euros.
The CDU politician, Michael Kretschmer, stated this in the ZDF morning magazine. Markus Söder, Bavaria's head of government, has called for a tougher approach regarding the citizens' allowance for Ukrainian refugees. Both politicians aim to ensure that benefits from the citizens' allowance are worthwhile.
It is important to note that these changes would apply to both Germans and Ukrainians who receive the citizens' allowance. The changes are intended to apply to all recipients, both new arrivals and existing refugees.
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- The proposed policy changes in Germany's policy-and-legislation sector, supported by politicians like Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder and Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, aim to adjust social support for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, potentially reducing monthly payments by about 100 euros per person.
- The ongoing debate in politics surrounding the citizens' allowance for Ukrainian refugees includes discussions about perceived incentives for unemployment, with some politicians, like Söder and Kretschmer, arguing for changes to align spending more closely with that of other European countries, such as France, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
