Asylum seekers
Dispute over payment cards: Kretschmann demands legal certainty
The Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, has spoken out in the dispute over a payment card for asylum seekers. photo
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
The Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann, is in favor of introducing a payment card for asylum seekers – under certain conditions.
In the debate about the introduction of a payment card for Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has urged asylum seekers to have a legally secure introduction. “I am clear on this: it has to be legally secure,” said the Green politician after an external cabinet meeting in Brussels. One cannot afford for the card to be introduced and then successfully sued. “Then we’ll show again that the state is unable to act on such issues.”
A new dispute recently arose in the traffic light coalition over the payment card. From the perspective of the SPD and FDP, there needs to be an accompanying federal regulation. The Greens do not believe this is necessary and point out that the introduction has already begun in Hamburg and is imminent in Bavaria.
When asked whether, in his opinion, there was a need for an accompanying federal regulation, Kretschmann said that this was at least the opinion of his head of the State Chancellery. “He checked and negotiated it with the others. I have no reason to doubt that.”
Green youth opposes payment cards
The Green Youth had previously called on its party members to vote against the introduction of payment cards for asylum seekers. “Greens – especially in the federal states – are well advised not to support this harassment if they really want to stand on the side of the weakest in society,” said the co-head of the Greens’ youth organization, Katharina Stolla, to the German Press Agency Berlin. The card restricts the self-determination of refugees. “It is hypocritical to criticize the supposed lack of willingness of refugees to integrate, but then to actively exclude them from social life through such measures.”
At the end of January, 14 of 16 federal states, including Baden-Württemberg, agreed on a joint procurement process to introduce a payment card for asylum seekers, which should be completed by the summer. Among other things, the card is intended to prevent migrants from transferring money to smugglers or to their family or friends abroad.
Bavaria will start using payment cards in March
Regardless of the renewed dispute in the federal government, the new payment card for asylum seekers is scheduled to be launched in a model project in four municipalities in Bavaria in March. “Today we awarded the contract for the payment card for asylum seekers, the tender has been completed,” said Interior State Secretary Sandro Kirchner (CSU) in Munich. This means that the card can be tested in the four selected pilot municipalities, the districts of Fürstenfeldbruck, Traunstein, Günzburg and the independent city of Straubing from March. “We are right on schedule.” The exact date for the introduction has not yet been set.
The award was preceded by a Europe-wide tender by the Ministry of the Interior, in which the Paycenter company from Freising was reportedly able to win. In order to be able to start the test phase quickly, the Ministry of the Interior closely involved the test municipalities and the municipal umbrella associations involved in parallel to the award process. In all other municipalities in the country, the current practice remains. According to the Interior Ministry, the Bavaria-wide roll-out is planned for the second quarter of 2024 – i.e. by the end of July at the latest.
Kirchner emphasized that the Bavarian payment card is very different from the Hamburg version: “The Hamburg payment card that made headlines last week is not the card we want.” This enables asylum seekers housed in shared accommodation to receive a 100% cash withdrawal.