The traffic light has agreed on changes to its “safety package”. After ARD information The original plans were significantly restricted – for example in the cuts in benefits for refugees.
No more social benefits for certain refugee groups – that was one of the most important points in the traffic light’s original “security package”. Accordingly, there should be across-the-board cuts for so-called “Dublin refugees”, i.e. those who are already registered in another EU country.
According to information from the ARD capital studios significantly limited. The new package should include a hardship regulation that affects, among other things, children. In addition, the benefit cuts should only be possible if it is actually possible for the actual recipient to travel to the EU country originally responsible, according to the Green group.
The SPD parliamentary group wrote in a letter to its members that was sent on Friday evening that the cut would only take effect if there were “no hurdles to the return”. With these changes, the traffic light factions are taking up criticism that was raised, among other things, in the expert hearings in the Bundestag.
For weeks there have been warnings about drastic emergencies for those affected: “By excluding benefits, we do not want asylum seekers to become homeless or impoverished,” the SPD letter now states.
Only more so for serious crimes Investigative powers
The fact that security authorities have more investigative options is still part of the package: biometric matching for facial recognition is permitted to make it easier to identify suspects. However, the powers are now limited to the prosecution or prevention of the most serious crimes, such as murder, manslaughter or the formation of a terrorist organization.
This means that there should be significantly fewer cases in which the authorities use such methods. “The target group will be further restricted,” writes the SPD parliamentary group. Experts had described the plans as far-reaching encroachments on fundamental rights. That is why they should now be limited to exceptional cases.
Criticism of knife bans
In addition, the law should require an evaluation of the measures after three years – not by the Ministry of the Interior itself, but by independent scientists. There was also clear criticism from security experts at the hearings in the Bundestag about the planned knife bans: there was talk of pure “symbolic politics” and that the traffic lights did not even adequately define what a knife was for them. “Is the fish knife from the cutlery box also a knife?” asked a senior criminal investigator who was supposed to assess the plans.
“We have to take this criticism seriously, which is why there are now changes,” says FDP parliamentary group deputy Konstantin Kuhle. The new regulations would “enable everyone to see whether they are affected by a knife ban or not”. He also announced that there would be “a comprehensive catalog of exceptions for the use of knives.” It is very likely that previously discussed cases, such as mushroom hunters and hunters, will be listed there.
Ampel wants to discuss the package in the Bundestag next week
The exact wording for the individual changes is not yet available. Nevertheless, things should now happen quickly: the traffic light wants to discuss the package in the Interior Committee of the Bundestag as early as next Wednesday and in the Bundestag in the same week, according to the SPD parliamentary group. She also praises the “constructive negotiations”.
However, the agreement apparently ended with the question of how to present the package to the public. The FDP invited people to a press conference on Friday afternoon – the SPD and the Greens did not. They obviously didn’t want to appear in front of the microphones together.