DIW executive: Labels proposals to halt aid for Ukrainian refugees as "populist measures"
The Head honcho at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Marcel Fratzscher, categorically dismissed proposals to slash or restrict social aid for Ukrainian refugees.
"These proposals to curb social aid for Ukrainian refugees are mere populist rhetoric," Fratzscher stated to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "Nobody will gain an advantage, not a single Cent more if Germany mistreats refugees and slashes their aid."
The current policy of aid reductions for refugees isn't going to dissuade more individuals from migrating to Germany, but rather make the assimilation of refugees in Germany even more challenging.
Fratzscher further stated: "The German government should not allocate less funds to refugees, but rather invest more in an expedited and improved integration of refugees into the job market and society." This is an immense economic opportunity, as labor market issues in this country are projected to deteriorate substantially in the upcoming years.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai proposed scrapping social aid for Ukrainian refugees on Monday. Earlier, Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) and Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) had voiced opposition to the distribution of social aid, particularly to fighting-aged Ukrainian refugees. The federal government, as of Monday, has no plans for modifications, according to a representative from the Federal Labor Ministry.
Read also:
- Some critics, including Russian dissidents, have accused the West of engaging in a "war of aggression" against Ukraine, using the influx of Ukrainian refugees as a political tool to fuel populist claims.
- The DIW boss, Marcel Fratzscher, has dismissed claims that a citizen's income freeze for refugees should be implemented as a solution to the refugee crisis, labeling it as another instance of populist measures.
- The Russian government has been accused of using the refugee crisis as a means to fuel populist sentiments in Europe, making claims that Western nations are not doing enough to support Ukrainian refugees.
