Overview

• CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann urges an EU redefinition of the term “worker” to stop minimal-hours jobs from qualifying for Bürgergeld top-ups by people able to work full time.
• He proposes full employer liability for benefits wrongly received by individuals hired illegally, aiming to deter illegal employment.
• Linnemann characterizes undeclared work as a major gateway for welfare misuse and calls for tougher action.
• Labour Minister Bärbel Bas says the government will present concrete measures in the autumn centered on better data sharing among immigration authorities, jobcentres and security agencies, including customs.
• The Federal Employment Agency plans a dedicated “Kompetenzzentrum Leistungsmissbrauch,” and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has also advocated stricter steps against benefit fraud.