German debate intensifies over benefits for Ukrainian refugees
Benefits for Ukrainian refugees are causing increasing controversy in Germany. One German politician is even calling for their elimination. In his opinion, this will force more Ukrainians to seek employment.
Approximately 700,000 Ukrainians, mainly children, receive the so-called citizen's allowance in Germany. At the same time, criticism is growing in Germany regarding the level of support provided to refugees from Ukraine.
Deutsche Welle (DW) reports that some German politicians oppose this, including Bijan Djir-Sarai, the general secretary of the liberal FDP.
Tax money is used to "finance unemployment"
"Newly arriving war refugees from Ukraine should no longer receive citizen's allowance in the future, but should fall under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act," said Bijan Djir-Sarai in an interview with "Bild", suggesting that this will force more Ukrainians to seek employment.
At the same time, he noted a labour shortage in Germany, especially in the hospitality, construction, and care sectors. According to him, the German government should not use tax money to "finance unemployment."
"We should no longer use taxpayers' money to finance unemployment, but must ensure that people get jobs," said the German politician.
There are no plans to limit aid
Meanwhile, Scholz's SPD and the Greens reject this idea. Similarly, Marcel Fratzscher, the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) president, called it "sheer populism."
No one will be better off, no one will have a single euro more, if Germany treats refugees worse and cuts their benefits - he emphasised.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz holds a similar opinion. His associates have informed that there are no plans to limit aid for Ukrainian refugees.
According to government data from March 2024, about 1.3 million people with Ukrainian citizenship live in Germany, mainly women and children. Data from the Federal Ministry of the Interior shows that about 260,000 of them are men aged 18 to 60.
