Overview

• On August 6, Social Minister Bärbel Bas circulated a draft law to reroute refugees arriving from April 1, 2025 into lower-rate benefits under the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz.
• Under the proposal, single adult Ukrainians would receive €441 per month instead of €563 under Bürgergeld, and their health coverage would be limited by asylum rules.
• The Bundessozialministerium projects a nearly zero-sum outcome for 2026 as roughly €1.32 billion less in basic-security costs is offset by €1.375 billion in asylum-benefit expenses compensated by the federal government.
• Since 2022, about 1.2 million Ukrainians have arrived in Germany with some 700,000 currently eligible for Bürgergeld and 332,000 in employment as of May 2025.
• Bavarian CSU leader Markus Söder has urged a broader exclusion of all Ukrainians from Bürgergeld, intensifying tensions within the governing coalition over refugee welfare.