The head of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has announced his intention to completely abolish Bürgergeld (social assistance) payments for all refugees from Ukraine, regardless of when they arrived in Germany.
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In a Sunday interview on ZDF television, he stressed that not only those who arrived after 1 April 2024, as provided for in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD, should lose their support, but also all others. According to him, Germany remains the only country that provides Ukrainian refugees with social benefits at such a level that, in Söder’s opinion, prevents them from integrating into the labour market.
In 2024, the total amount of payments to foreigners under the Bürgergeld scheme amounted to €22.2 billion, of which €6.3 billion was paid to Ukrainian citizens.
The current rules stipulate that Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Germany before 1 April retain their right to Bürgergeld. After this date, unless there are exceptional circumstances, they should only receive the lower payments provided for asylum seekers. However, this rule has not yet been implemented in practice, so newly arrived Ukrainians still receive Bürgergeld.
Read also: Social assistance to Ukrainians in Germany may be cut
