The dispute over payment cards for asylum seekers continues. The project was actually considered a done deal. However, the Greens believe that planned changes to the law that would enable the implementation of payment cards are not necessary.
In the dispute over changes to the law for the nationwide introduction of payment cards for asylum seekers, criticism from the federal states continues. Politicians from the Union and FDP accuse the Greens of torpedoing the project that has already been agreed upon. Warning voices also come from the SPD.
Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) from Saxony-Anhalt told the “Bild” newspaper: “One expects reliability and rapid implementation from a joint decision of all 16 federal states with the Chancellor and the federal government. If not, the population’s trust in the Federal policy further damaged.” Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) demanded that the Chancellor give his say.
Bavaria’s head of government Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized that Bavaria would introduce the payment card even without federal regulations. The social policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group, Stephan Stracke (CSU), demanded in the “Welt” that the traffic light must present a draft law for a nationwide payment card: “Our asylum system is not intended for asylum seekers to transfer cash benefits to their homeland or to smugglers. ”
SPD and FDP criticize Blockade posture
SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese warned the green coalition partner: “Sensibilities of individuals in a parliamentary group cannot be the benchmark in these challenging times.” Several FDP politicians had previously criticized the Greens’ approach.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai said on “Welt-TV” that it was extremely strange that the instruments that had been agreed upon were suddenly being called into question. The arguments against the payment card are “excuses”. Rather, the idea behind this is that one does not want a migration policy with more management, control and limitation of irregular migration.
The deputy FDP chairman Wolfgang Kubicki threatened an early exit from the coalition in the “Bild” newspaper: “If the Greens actually torpedo this minimally invasive intervention in the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, that will call the continuation of the coalition into question.” With their blockade, the Greens would contribute to “more and more people turning away from the federal government’s policies and having doubts about the problem-solving skills of democratic institutions,” Kubicki further criticized. “If you want to win the fight against the right, you shouldn’t behave like that.”
Greens against Changes in the law
The Greens consider the current legal regulations to be sufficient to introduce the payment card for asylum seekers nationwide as planned. Therefore, they did not want to support planned changes to the law, for example in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, which were to be passed in the Bundestag next week.
The parliamentary director of the Green parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, told the editorial network Germany that she did not understand “why there is a dispute about something that has long been legally possible and just needs to be implemented.” Payment cards have been issued in Hamburg since Thursday, and in Bavaria they should start in two weeks. “The states have all the legal options they need, and they are apparently being used. This has been discussed in the coalition and has also been represented by the Chancellery for months,” said Mihalic.
Payment cards are intended to replace cash
The federal and state governments agreed in November that asylum seekers would in future receive at least part of their benefits as credit on a payment card and thus be able to pay cashless. The nationwide introduction is intended, among other things, to prevent migrants from sending cash to their home countries.
However, many details are still open. Asylum seekers are primarily provided with benefits in kind in the initial reception centers, but also receive an amount to cover personal needs in everyday life. The nationwide standard is 185 euros per month for single adults.