Germany already pays the highest social benefits in all of Europe
As reported by "Russkaya Germaniya", two years ago the Federal Republic actively discussed the need to revise the financial assistance program for persons applying for asylum in Germany. Then Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière proposed "significantly reducing" the amount of cash benefits that refugees in initial reception centers are entitled to.
According to the Christian Democrat, who was supported at the time by many politicians from the CDU/CSU, the current legislation on benefit amounts is "too attractive" for foreigners. For example, the level of payments provided for refugees, as noted in Berlin, "is sometimes even higher than the monthly salary of an ordinary citizen in Albania or Kosovo." Specifically, it was proposed to pay refugees less cash but provide them with more services. However, this proposal by the interior minister remained unimplemented at the time: there was no legal basis for it.
The issue of pocket money for refugees was raised again at the federal level. The fact is that the German government is legally obliged to "regularly adjust" the amount of social benefits for asylum seekers in Germany. The basis for such an "adjustment" is the average wages and prices for goods and services, which are calculated annually by the Federal Statistical Office. These indicators are, for example, the basis for the constant recalculation of pensions or unemployment benefits Hartz IV upward.
Meanwhile, the last increase in cash benefits for refugees occurred three years ago. Then everything stalled because the new bill did not pass the Bundesrat in the previous legislative period. Then the government changed, but this issue remained unresolved. Now the Federal Ministry of Labor, which is directly responsible for the amount of such cash payments, is forced to respond somehow.
Labor Minister, Social Democrat Hubertus Heil, is pushed to this step not only by current legislation but also by a fundamental decision of the German Constitutional Court from 2012. Let us recall that the highest judicial body of Germany then clearly stated that social assistance should also apply to persons claiming asylum in Germany, as it is a matter "of justice and human dignity." German legislators were forced to immediately respond to that court verdict, setting the amount of financial payments for refugees comparable to the amount of unemployment benefits.
In the case of "pocket money," it concerns only those refugees whose asylum application is still pending and who live in an initial reception camp, as well as rejected refugees who have temporary protection from extradition (Duldung).
According to the proposal from Hubertus Heil's ministry, single adult refugees should receive 150 euros per month instead of 135 (an increase of 11 percent). For adolescents aged 14 to 17, the amount of cash benefits increases from 76 to 79 euros. For children aged 6 to 13 – from 83 to 97 euros, and for those under 6 – from 79 to 84 euros. As emphasized by the Ministry of Labor, the increase in "pocket money" payments should help asylum seekers participate more actively in public life, including "cultural events and leisure activities."
Currently, the bill is being coordinated among the relevant federal ministries. If everything goes according to the Ministry of Labor's plan, the new rules will take effect by the beginning of next year.
Meanwhile, these proposals by the Social Democrats are encountering serious resistance from a number of high-ranking representatives of the Christian Democrats. It is clear that this is not about a complete ban on increasing cash payments for refugees, which would clearly contradict current legislation. Rather, German conservatives hope to move this discussion to the European level in order to make a decision at the Brussels level.
Thus, Deputy Chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, commenting on the ministry's plans, stated literally the following: "Germany already pays the highest social benefits in all of Europe. And these cash payments are the significant factor that attracts asylum seekers to us. That is why we must use all available opportunities to reduce the amount of benefits for arriving refugees."
According to the Christian Democrat, at the first stage it is necessary to "significantly reduce" payments at least to those refugees who have already applied for asylum in another European Union country. "For those cases provided for by the Dublin Agreement, there should be nothing in the future other than a return ticket," demands the CDU Bundestag member.