Early elections are planned for February in Germany. If the CDU/CSU coalition wins, Ukrainian refugees will face some unpleasant changes. Find out about possible reductions in benefits, employment requirements and salary increases for Ukrainian pensioners in Germany after the elections

Legal advice on migration issues

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On 12 November, it became known that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and opposition lawmakers had agreed on a date for early elections. The procedure is scheduled for February 2025 (previously, it was planned for September 2025). The CDU/CSU (a coalition of German political parties - the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union) has created an indicative plan for modifications to social support for Ukrainian refugees in case of their victory.

In particular, Carsten Linnemann (General Secretary of the German CDU party) presented the following main positions of the reform in an interview with the Funke media group, quoted by the DPA agency

- cancellation of the Bürgergeld and introduction of the ‘New Basic Allowance’ with work requirements.

- Reduction of support for Ukrainian refugees, transferring them to smaller payments.

- Pensioners will be able to earn up to €2,000 tax-free.

- Reducing the budget by 50 billion euros, in particular through social and migration expenditures.

Read more about each item in the Visit Ukraine article.

Cancellation of Bürgergeld and introduction of the ‘New Basic Benefit’

Ukrainians now receive Bürgergeld (or ‘money for citizens’) on an equal footing with other residents of the country. Linnehmann cites Christian Lindner, the German Minister of Finance, as saying that instead of Bürgergeld, benefits for asylum seekers should be offered with labour market policy instruments. Accordingly, the amount of aid will be reduced.

The amount of Bürgergeld civilian assistance depends on inflation and changes in wages. Find out what it will be in 2025 on the Visit Ukraine portal.

Reducing support for Ukrainian refugees, transferring them to smaller payments

"Ukrainians also defend our freedom. But if there is a benefit, it is associated with something in return. This also applies to employment ,’ Linnemann explained his position on making changes to the legal status and benefits of Ukrainians.

‘On the other hand, they should not immediately receive a citizen's allowance that is oriented towards a socio-economic subsistence level with social participation even without work,’ Lindner said.

The head of the Bavarian opposition CSU party in the Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt, called for the expulsion of unemployed Ukrainian refugees from Germany: ‘More than two years after the outbreak of the war, the principle should now be applied: get a job in Germany or return to the safe areas of western Ukraine.’

Read more about the sanctions and fines Ukrainian refugees face for refusing to take up employment in the material by Visit Ukraine.

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Increase in pensioners' salaries to €2,000 without taxes

‘We need to discuss why more than 50% of Ukrainians work in many European countries, but only 25% in Germany ’ - these are the figures cited during the interview with Linnemann. The result of such statistics is a reduction in social benefits and a lack of incentives to find work.

The German government sees the increase in wages for pensioners as an additional incentive to employ them.

Reducing the budget by 50 billion euros due to social and migration costs

Lindner says that Germany should consider introducing a new legal status for Ukrainian refugees. The result should be a reduction in public spending on social assistance for Ukrainians.

‘They should not immediately receive a benefit for citizens, which is oriented towards a socio-economic subsistence level with social participation even without work,’ he said.

‘In Germany, a six-figure number of people are fundamentally unwilling to work,’ and therefore cannot be encouraged to look for work by cutting social benefits. Basic income support should be completely abolished ,’ Linnemann said during the interview.

Earlier, we told you that given the difficult situation faced by Ukrainian citizens who left for Germany because of the hostilities, the German government has prepared a bill that provides additional time and opportunities for Ukrainians - read on Visit Ukraine.

Photo: Ukrainian reporter

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