Dobrindt advocates for the repatriation of jobless Ukrainians
In the debate over costly social aid for Ukrainian refugees, the CSU is pushing for the solutions of repatriation or workforce integration. Regionally, Dobrindt finds this acceptable, two years after the war's start. The Greens and SPD are furious.
The CSU, in Germany's parliament, is pushing for war refugees from Ukraine to either return to their homeland or find employment in Germany if they fail to do so. "It should now become the standard, two years after the war's start: employment in Germany or return to safe zones in western Ukraine," said CSU regional chair Alexander Dobrindt to "Bild am Sonntag." The SPD and Greens promptly expressed their displeasure with this proposition.
SPD parliamentary group vice chair Dirk Wiese told the paper that Russian President Vladimir Putin was relentlessly bombarding targets throughout Ukraine. "Now, Dobrindt wants to send back women and children, who may have already lost their fathers on the battlefield. The CSU should be ashamed of such demands and the C should be wiped from their name," Wiese said. Green party leader Omid Nouripour commented: "The notion that Ukrainians come to us merely for social benefits disregards the horrors of Putin's war."
"Social benefits are a hindrance to employment"
He also opposed the Union's propositions to cut off social benefits for Ukrainians immediately and instead direct them through the standard asylum procedure. "Of course, we need to get the Ukrainians employed sooner. But additional legal barriers, like those the CDU wants, don't help. They hurt." Several interior ministers have already argued that social benefit payments to Ukrainian refugees should be halted, with lower payments granted under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act instead. The federal government has already rejected this.
Dobrindt also criticized the current regulation. According to the CSU politician, social benefits were initially intended as temporary help at the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, but have since become an obstacle to employment. Too many Ukrainians are reliant on social welfare, Dobrindt argued. SPD labor market politician Martin Rosemann explained in "Bild am Sonntag" that many Ukrainian refugees are single mothers: "The barriers for Ukrainian refugees in starting their working life stem from the lack of childcare, insufficient language skills, and the lengthy recognition of vocational qualifications." The suggestion to shift them from social benefits to the asylum procedure was dismissed as "populist nonsense" by him.
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Dobrindt suggested that Ukrainian refugees who are unemployed in Germany should consider returning to their homeland or finding employment, stating, "It should now become the standard: employment in Germany or return to safe zones in western Ukraine." Criticizing Dobrindt's proposal, SPD parliamentary group vice chair Dirk Wiese argued, "The CSU should be ashamed of such demands and the C should be wiped from their name." In addition, Omid Nouripour, the Green party leader, expressed disapproval, stating, "The notion that Ukrainians come to us merely for social benefits disregards the horrors of Putin's war."
