Ukrainians will soon stop receiving civilian assistance (Bürgergeld), which is intended for unemployed German citizens and amounts to EUR 563 per month, and social benefits will be reoriented in general, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said, according to Bild.
“We should consider a separate legal status for refugees from Ukraine, Ukrainians… should not… immediately receive civilian assistance, which is focused on providing a socio-economic subsistence level and participation in society even without work,” Lindner told Wirtschaftswoche.
According to the minister, Ukrainians should receive the same benefits as other refugees. Currently, they amount to EUR 460, which is less than the Bürgergeld. According to Lindner, Ukrainians will still not have to go through the asylum procedure, but they will not automatically receive civilian assistance.
Currently, there are about 1.2 million Ukrainians in Germany. According to Bild, 65% of them receive Bürgergeld, and this share is much higher than among immigrants from other countries.
During a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also proposed changing the mechanism of social payments to Ukrainian refugees. In an interview with TVP Info following the visit, he said that he proposed to direct the social benefits that Ukrainian refugees currently receive in Germany directly to support Ukraine.
“It’s not good that there is a financial incentive to be in Germany instead of men fighting at the front and women restoring the tax base,” said Sikorsky, who said that payments in Germany can reach EUR 1200 per month.
