Migration - CDU-Faction Leader: We are introducing the payment card
Berlin's CDU faction leader Dirk Stettner will hold firm on the introduction of a payment card for asylum seekers. Neither increasing criticism nor a ruling by the Hamburg Social Court is an obstacle in his view. "We will introduce the payment card in Berlin - and we will introduce it with a 50 Euro limit on cash withdrawals," he told the German Press Agency. "For us, it is clear that the payment card is sensible."
The Hamburg Social Court ruled on Wednesday that rigid cash withdrawal limits on the payment card were not suitable for covering additional needs, for example, for pregnant women or families with young children. The responsible social authority must take into account the personal living circumstances of the applicants.
"If it's possible, then I say: do it"
"I don't know the text of the judgment and it's not up to me to judge it legally. I wouldn't trust myself with that, I'm not a lawyer," said the CDU politician. "But personally, I'm not of the opinion that the executive action of 16 federal states and the federal government depends on the first-instance judgment of a Social Court. It's a preliminary ruling, said Stettner. "We'll have to wait and see what the review brings."
"That shouldn't stop us from acting. But lawyers must evaluate whether the distribution can be carried out on this basis. After all, if it's possible, then I say: do it."
The Minister Presidents' Conference spoke out in favor of the introduction of the payment card with a limit of 50 Euro per adult in June. Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) agreed. However, Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) has publicly rejected such a limit several times.
"I consider that to be a kindergarten argument"
Stettner said that the Senate is largely in agreement on the issue - except for one member: "There is only one opinion that the decisions of 16 federal states and the German Bundestag violate fundamental rights. I consider that to be a kindergarten argument - and we will not follow it," said the CDU faction leader regarding Kiziltepe's position.
"We want the services that refugees receive to be used for the refugees who are here. We don't want German money, which is intended for the social welfare of refugees in Germany, to be sent abroad," he added. "And we are trying to achieve procedural simplification for the administration. That's the main point. We're achieving that through a payment card."
Criticism from SPD deputies Jan Lehmann and Orkan Özdemir about the payment card is dismissed by Stettner: "If two SPD deputies in the summer recess know better than everyone else, then they obviously have some insights that I don't share," he said. Lehmann had described the payment card as senseless symbol politics, Özdemir had raised the question of whether it made sense at all in terms of cost-benefit analysis.
Stettner replied, it's about doing what's best for the city of Berlin. "And there are indeed some questions that are too important to take into account every individual opinion within the SPD." The SPD is going through a process of orientation. "Every party needs that. We also have to consider some things, but not in questions that have such great significance for the country," stressed Stettner. "The theme of migration, integration, and the resilience of our city has reached a level of importance that I will not take any consideration of."
- The CDU in Hamburg stands firm on implementing a payment card for asylum seekers, despite criticism and a court ruling in Hamburg.
- Meanwhile, Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) supports the introduction of the payment card, in line with the Minister Presidents' Conference.
- However, Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) in Berlin has consistently opposed the 50 Euro per adult limit for the payment card.
- Stettner deemed Kiziltepe's opposition as "a kindergarten argument" and assured that the CDU will not follow this stance.
- SDP deputies Jan Lehmann and Orkan Özdemir have criticized the payment card, labeling it as senseless symbol politics and questioning its cost-benefit analysis.
- Stettner responded to the criticisms, asserting that the city's concerns, such as the efficient use of finances for refugees, take precedence over individual opinions within the SPD.
