Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) advocates the abolition of civil benefits and pushes for stricter rules for benefit recipients.
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann favours the complete abolition of civil benefits for more than 100,000 people. He highlighted that “a six-figure number of people are fundamentally unwilling to take up employment.” He runs on the principle the state should construe such a gesture that if someone is fundamentally unwilling to accept a job, the state should assume they are not in need. According to him, reducing benefits by 10, 20 or 30 per cent is not enough, as basic security must go away altogether.
Apart, Linnemann included in his list Ukrainian refugees receiving civilian benefits. He emphasised the importance that “Ukrainians also defend our freedom,” but if Ukrainian refugees are able to stay in Germany under more favourable conditions during the conflict in Ukraine, they should take up employment. Although, he finds exceptions for single parents or people who take care of relatives, FAZ.NET reported.
He attributed the lack of willingness to go out to work to the fact people are discouraged because benefits cover basic living costs. Earlier, he applauded the intention of the Federal Government to encourage more recipients of citizens’ benefits to take up employment, as in future the refusal to take up reasonable work may in future lead to increased benefits and undeclared work may also lead to redundancies.
According to Linnemann, citizens’ money is the main protection for job seekers, and as a consequence of this there is separate provision for basic security in old age and in the event of reduced ability to work, for example due to illness or disability.
Scholz faces criticism over deportation issue
Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock indirectly criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Home Secretary Nancy Feiser for promising to quickly deport Afghan or Syrian criminals. She said that “especially in such volatile times, it is not a contribution to security if you promise something and the next day you really have no clue how you can actually keep that promise,” according to Taggeschau. The statement followed the murder of a police officer in Mannheim by a man from Afghanistan. She claimed criminals of this nature had lost the right to protection, but deportation would not be a quick fix.
Earlier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a statement emphasising that dangerous people from Afghanistan and Syria will face deportation. He stressed on Wednesday: “I can assure you that my government is working very intensively to make such deportation of criminals possible. However, of course, the power ends at the border with Germany – some talking people always overlook this.”
In the context of the matter, a recent decision by the North Rhine-Westphalia High Administrative Court in Münster caused a stir when the Court rejected a Syrian man’s claim for denial of subsidiary protection in Germany because there is no general risk of civil war for Syrian asylum seekers, according to the Court.
Berbock commented that the “Islamist terrorist regime” must not be permitted to dictate the conditions for the return of criminals, but action must therefore take place in the event those people fail to leave the country.
