THE WORLD

In Germany, it is being demanded that the benefits of Ukrainian refugees be reduced

Ukrainian refugees in Berlin

Ukrainian refugees in Berlin

Photo: Associated Press

A number of leading politicians in Germany are calling for Ukrainian refugees in Germany to have their access to welfare payments cut, and to be registered through the asylum system.

The calls came before a meeting of the interior ministers of the country's 16 states and the federal interior minister. Some of them say that Germany is very attractive to Ukrainian citizens because it pays them more than neighboring countries, The Guardian reports.

About 1.1 million Ukrainians have found refuge in Germany since Russia's full-scale invasion of their country in February 2022. They are entitled to a welfare payment, known as "Bürgergeld", or citizens' income, of 563 euros per month. Couples receive 506 euros per person and children are entitled to payments of 357 to 471 euros per month, depending on their age. The German state also covers expenses such as rent, heating and health care.

This year the German state will pay between 5.5 and 6 million euros to finance the Ukrainians, according to the finance ministry. 

Thomas Strobl, the interior minister for Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, said ahead of the meeting that he hoped there would be support for a change in policy.

"It is quite possible that the reason we have a particularly high number of Ukrainians in Germany, in contrast to other neighbors like France, for example, is that we have these high social welfare payments, which nobody else in Europe there are none", he declared. 

Refugees coming to Germany from Ukraine have been entitled to citizen's income, considered a payment covering basic living costs, since June 2022 and have not had to apply for asylum, in accordance with an asylum directive Known to the EU as the mass influx rule, under which, as displaced persons, Ukrainians are offered immediate protection and a clear legal status.

This allows them immediate access to the labor market, unlike asylum seekers for whom the rules are more complicated, whose status requires much more to be clarified and who receive less money.

Critics such as Strobl and the interior ministers of Brandenburg and Bavaria, Michael Stübgen and Joachim Herrmann, also members of the conservative alliance, claim that the incentive for Ukrainians to find a job is low because of the level of payments.

The government has so far rejected calls to reduce social welfare payments to Ukrainians and has said it has no plans to revise the rules.

Herrmann has also led calls for men fit for military service to return to Ukraine, arguing that this would be in Germany's interest as well as Kiev's.

Authorities have reported a higher rate of Ukrainian youth arrivals in Germany, especially after Kiev lowered the age for recruitment from 27 to 26.

According to the national employment agency, as of January of this year just under 520,000 Ukrainians were registered as employed, about half of whom had found full-time positions.

Ukrainians cite challenges in Germany around issues such as language and childcare. About 65% are single parents and many are also caring for the elderly.

According to UNHCR figures from February, around 6 million Ukrainian war refugees have registered in Europe. Germany had the largest number, followed by Poland, the Czech Republic, and Great Britain.

Spain, Italy and the Netherlands each had fewer than 200,000 registered. Each country offers different levels of support, with Germany offering the highest level.