German Vice Chancellor rejects call to cancel social assistance for Ukrainian refugees
In Germany, the issue of social benefits for refugees from Ukraine periodically finds itself at the center of political disputes. It was repeatedly violated at the level of the federal government, individual states and party associations. For two years, there have been discussions about the feasibility of payments in the form of Bürgergeld – the so-called “citizen’s aid”, which is usually intended for Germans in need, as well as for other legal recipients of unemployment status. Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, refugees from this country were an exception: they were automatically provided with this type of support. At the same time, the voices that such practice should be revised sounded more and more insistently.
The latest such initiative came from the Prime Minister of Bavaria and the leader of the Christian Social Union, Markus Zeder. In his statement, he actually questioned the validity of payments to Ukrainian refugees in the current volume, pointing out that allegedly “no other country in the world is so generous”, and it is precisely because of this, they say, that Ukrainians do not have the proper incentive to find employment, despite a sufficiently high level of education. The announcement reignited a debate involving the highest officials in the federal government.
However, German Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil did not support the call to cancel the payment of the so-called “citizen’s aid” (Bürgergeld) for refugees from Ukraine, which is received in Germany by the unemployed and people who are unable to provide for themselves. At the same time, Lars Klingbeil believes that appeals like those made by Zeder do not contribute to the coalition’s progress in reaching a compromise. About this writes Spiegel.
The politician recalled that the coalition agreement already provides for a change in approach — from April 1, 2025, newly arrived refugees from Ukraine will not receive Bürgergeld. This step has already been agreed by the government majority, so the debate around canceling aid for those already in the country, Klingbeil considers unproductive.
The parliamentary secretary of the faction of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Dirk Wiese, joined the criticism of the proposal. He stressed that the hypothetical savings proposed by the proponents of the reduction in benefits would be offset by significant administrative costs at the local government level. That is, this scenario is economically inefficient. In addition, we are talking about a system into which thousands of Ukrainians have already been integrated, taking into account the legal status they have since their arrival.
It should be recalled that Ukrainians in Germany do not go through the asylum procedure – since the beginning of the war, they have been granted the status of temporary protection, which automatically guarantees a residence permit and the right to social support. That is why they receive Bürgergeld, not aid under the asylum law. This social model ensured a relatively quick integration into German society, but at the same time caused a wave of criticism, particularly from conservative politicians.
According to the Federal Employment Agency, as of May 2025, the employment rate among Ukrainian refugees was 34.9%. That is, a little more than a third have an official job. In the perspective of ten years, according to the German Institute for Research on the Labor Market and Professions, this figure is unlikely to exceed 55%. The main reason is the gender and age composition of the refugees: among the arrivals, there are predominantly women with children who cannot fully enter the labor market, especially without sufficient support from kindergartens, schools and social services.
In the financial dimension, the scale of support is impressive. In 2024, about 5.5 million people, including children, received “civil assistance” in Germany. 47.4% of them are persons without German citizenship. The share of Ukrainians in this context amounted to 6.3 billion euros per year. The difference in the amount of payments is noticeable: the standard benefit for a single asylum seeker is €460 per month, while the Bürgergeld for an unemployed person is €563.
The issue of social assistance to Ukrainians in Germany is no longer reduced to numbers. It is also a marker of how German society sees integration, state responsibility and the limits of solidarity. Against the background of growing social tension and pre-election sentiments, the discussion may return more than once. But the position of Vice-Chancellor Klingbeil and a number of influential politicians indicates that it is not yet time to review the current system for those who are already in the country. And the issue of limiting aid for new arrivals has already been settled — without unnecessary appeals, ultimatums, and putting it on the public stage.
