Migration - FDP calls for faster implementation of contactless payment
Schleswig-Holstein's former Economics Minister Bernd Buchholz is pushing for faster implementation of the payment card for refugees. "The states have agreed on a joint approach to the payment card, which Schleswig-Holstein is also part of," said the FDP politician.
If the Greens want to torpedo this project in the north, Buchholz expects the CDU to assert itself within the coalition.
"It's no secret that a coalition between CDU and Greens doesn't implement what its own CDU Minister-President decided at a Minister-President conference," Buchholz emphasized. This is "a piece from the madhouse." The payment card is there to reduce incentives to flee and must be legally structured.
Green Party position
Green Party member of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament Catharina Nies welcomed the Hamburg ruling on the payment card for refugees on Wednesday. "The court decision comes at a fortunate time, as the payment card has not yet been introduced in Schleswig-Holstein," Nies told the German Press Agency. This provides an opportunity to adjust.
The Social Court Hamburg ruled that fixed spending limits on the payment card are not suitable for covering additional needs, for example, from pregnant women or families with young children. The responsible social authority must take into account the personal living circumstances of the applicants, and fixed limits would not allow this, a court spokeswoman said. The court also ruled that the payment card itself is not objectionable.
Plaintiff in Hamburg
The applicant in the expedited procedure was a refugee family with a child born in 2022, who are expecting their second child this year. They demanded more cash or an additional payment into another account. The family currently receives a cash amount of 110 Euros, and the court granted them a cash need of 270 Euros.
Asyl-seekers receive part of the state benefits as a balance on the payment card instead of cash. This is intended to prevent migrants from transferring money to smugglers or family and friends in their home country.
Buchholz, as a member of the FDP, believes that the CDU should stand firm in implementing the payment card for refugees, as the Greens might attempt to block it in Schleswig-Holstein. The CDU-Green coalition, according to Buchholz, often fails to deliver on decisions made by its own CDU Minister-President.
Catharina Nies, a Green Party member of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament, welcomed the Hamburg court's decision on the payment card for refugees, seeing it as an opportunity to make necessary adjustments in their state.
The Hamburg Social Court ruled that fixed spending limits on the payment card are not adequate for meeting additional needs, such as those of pregnant women or families with young children. The court also emphasized that the payment card itself is not objectionable.
The applicant in the expedited procedure was a refugee family from Schleswig-Holstein with a newborn and another child expected, who argued for an increase in cash or additional funds deposit into another account. The family currently receives 110 Euros in cash, but the court granted them a cash need of 270 Euros.
Finances play a crucial role in the management of migrants and refugees, with many states opting to distribute benefits through payment cards instead of cash to prevent funds from being sent to smugglers or family in the home country.
