Greens give up resistance
Ampel agrees on a payment card for refugees
In the future, municipalities will also be able to issue benefits to asylum seekers via a payment card (symbolic image)
© Philipp von Ditfurth / DPA
The payment card for refugees is coming. After a long dispute, the traffic light parties agreed on the system. In the future, asylum seekers should also be able to pay with credit. However, the regulation is not mandatory.
The dispute over a federal regulation for a payment card for Asylum seeker is settled. The German Press Agency learned from government circles on Thursday evening that a corresponding formulation aid from the Federal Ministry of Labor should be decided by the cabinet on Friday in a circulation procedure.
Greens give up resistance to payment cards for asylum seekers
Recently there were concerns among the Greens. The Federal Ministry of Economics, led by the Greens, now said: “The payment card makes sense to prevent money from being transferred abroad. Accordingly, the wording aid for the introduction of a nationwide uniform legal basis for the payment card is approved.” “Bild” and the news portal “Table Media” previously reported on this.
At the end of January, 14 of 16 federal states 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 asylum seekers from transferring money to smugglers or to their family or friends abroad.
The Greens parliamentary group had said that the introduction of the card would be possible even without a federal regulation. However, the federal states insisted on clarification in federal law in order to create legal certainty in the event of a lawsuit against the card. The coalition partners SPD and FDP also urged the Greens to agree.
Payment cards should be included in the law as an option – precise regulations are up to the states
The payment card should now be expressly included as an option in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. Every adult member of a household who is entitled to benefits should receive their own payment card. The specific design of the payment card should be the responsibility of the countries that have agreed on minimum standards in a working group. However, the planned federal regulation still has to be approved by the Bundestag.
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The agreement includes checks on details: This applies, for example, to asylum seekers who have been in Germany for a long time and who work, study or do training and receive state benefits that correspond in type and amount to citizen’s benefit (analog benefits). The question is whether they should be excluded from the payment card.
Green party deputy Andreas Audretsch told the dpa that the planned tests would now be carried out. “But payment cards must not prevent people from integrating into Germany and becoming part of our society, especially if they live here permanently,” said Audretsch.