Overview

• Germany’s coalition plans to place Ukrainians arriving after 31 March/1 April 2025 under the Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz rather than Bürgergeld, with a draft law circulated in August.
• Saxony’s interior minister Armin Schuster calls the switch urgent, citing rising arrivals that climbed from about 35 a week in late July to 100 in late August and 373 last week.
• Schuster links the trend to Poland’s recent tightening of rules for Ukrainians, under which benefits such as child allowance are paid only when recipients work and pay taxes.
• The federal government projects a one-off implementation cost of roughly €1.3 million and has not finalized compensation for states and municipalities, while asserting no ongoing administrative staff increase is expected.
• Greens and the Deutscher Städtetag argue the reform will shift expenses to local authorities, yield little or no federal savings, and curtail jobcenter-led integration and consistent healthcare coverage.