German politician calls for reduced benefits for Ukrainian refugees
Markus Soder, Prime Minister of the German state of Bavaria, has called for an end to citizen's allowance payments for Ukrainian refugees, proposing that new arrivals instead receive reduced benefits under the country's Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.
In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF on Aug. 3, Soder said Ukrainian refugees should no longer be eligible for the same welfare benefits as German citizens and should instead receive only asylum-level support.
The citizen's allowance is a federal welfare payment granted to individuals with little or no income to ensure a minimum standard of living.
Soder said it must be ensured that "there is no more citizen's allowance for all those who have come from Ukraine," adding that the policy should apply not just to future arrivals, but to all Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
Soder argued that Germany is the only country providing Ukrainian refugees with benefits comparable to the citizen's allowance. He also alleged that, because of the high level of support, Ukrainian refugees were unwilling to look for work despite their high qualifications.
Under a previous agreement between the governing coalition parties — the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats — Ukrainian refugees arriving after April 1, 2025 are to receive benefits in accordance with the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, aligning them with other refugee groups.
However, the policy has yet to be legally implemented. For now, Ukrainian refugees arriving after the proposed cut off date continue to receive the citizen's allowance.
Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to UNHCR, more than 5 million Ukrainian refugees are currently living in Europe — 1.2 million of which are hosted by Germany.
