Overview

• On August 3, Markus Söder proposed that all Ukrainian war refugees be moved retroactively from full Bürgergeld to lower asylum seeker rates, going beyond the coalition pact’s April 1 cut-off.
• Dirk Wiese of the SPD parliamentary group said any budget savings would be negated by significant extra administrative work for municipalities.
• Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU’s social wing, criticized the proposal as bombastic and questioned how authorities could practically reclassify registered Ukrainians.
• Chancellery chief Thorsten Frei and Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer supported a benefits review, citing that only one in three employable Ukrainians in Germany is actually working.
• Ukrainian advocacy leaders warned that cutting full benefits without addressing language training, childcare and qualification recognition would hinder refugees’ integration.