Germany: Calls to halt citizen benefits for Ukrainian refugees
The debate in Germany over social assistance granted to Ukrainian refugees has intensified, after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party called for an end to what it described as the exceptional situation that allows them to directly receive citizens’ benefits (Bürgergeld).
According to German Bild newspaper, the agreement between the CDU/CSU and the SPD stipulates that Ukrainians arriving in Germany after April 1, 2025 won’t be granted this benefit, and that asylum seeker aid laws will be applied to them instead, as is the case with other refugees.
But Florian Ost (CDU), the CDU deputy for the border town of Gorlitz with Poland, demanded that the government implement this agreement immediately, stressing that the number of Ukrainian refugees, especially young men, is constantly increasing, noting that this comes after the Ukrainian government lifted the travel ban on men aged 18 to 21 last August.
“We’ve seen ourselves minibuses carrying dozens of young Ukrainians crossing the border into Germany, and this is legal, but it’s unacceptable that they go directly into the Bürgergeld system,” Ost told the Bild newspaper.
“We cannot continue like this, because we are becoming a magnet for immigration”.
According to German government figures, the number of Ukrainian arrivals rose significantly, from about 8,000 in May to nearly 19,000 in September.
The conservative MP stressed that those who can work should work, warning of declining public acceptance of asylum and social support policies, saying: “After three months of emergency assistance, permanent support must stop, and the special situation for Ukrainians in Germany cannot continue.”
For its part, the German Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) confirmed that the draft law implementing the provisions of the government coalition agreement is currently under internal review, refusing to comment on the political demands made by opposition MPs.
