- Other counties want to use payment cards themselves if necessary
Counties in Brandenburg do not want to wait indefinitely for the uniform introduction of the payment card for asylum seekers. They are considering going it alone, if the nationwide introduction of the cards takes too long. The payment card for refugees is intended to relieve municipalities and prevent money from flowing to traffickers. 14 federal states want to introduce a uniform system. However, there are problems. The nationwide tendering procedure for the service provider of the payment card is still ongoing due to objections from companies in the bidding process.
Counties are considering going it alone, like Märkisch-Oderland.
Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) said: "If it takes too long, then other counties will follow the example of the Märkisch-Oderland county. There are talks about this." The head of government did not want to say which counties these were. The Märkisch-Oderland county issued the payment card on its own in May.
Woidke said about the objections, if the tendering procedure goes to court, "we'll have to see how it develops in terms of time". He wishes for the introduction of the payment card as soon as possible. It is an important pillar to significantly limit irregular migration. In May, the chairman of the county association, Landrat Siegurd Heinze (independent) from the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, still expected that the cards could be issued from autumn.
The card for services for asylum seekers is intended, among other things, to prevent money payments to traffickers or families in the home countries. It is also intended to relieve municipalities in administration and reduce the incentive for irregular migration.
Märkisch-Oderland has been using payment cards for three months.
Woidke informed himself at a social welfare office branch of the Märkisch-Oderland county about the experiences with the payment card, which has been in use there for around three months and has been issued to 770 people. Landrat Gernot Schmidt (SPD) rated the system as a success.
The payment card is accepted according to the administration. There are no complaints about it. Asylum seekers in the district no longer receive payments for living expenses as a check, but as credit on the payment card. A maximum of 50 euros can be withdrawn as cash.
The goals of the card are to prevent the misuse of money from the German social system and also to create an incentive to take up work as soon as possible, said Woidke. He does not see any reason to change course after the social court ruling in Hamburg on the payment card for refugees.
Brandenburg sees no reason to rethink after the ruling.
The court decided that rigid cash limits on the payment card are not suitable to cover the additional needs, for example, of pregnant women or families with young children. The social authority responsible for the card must take into account the personal living circumstances of the applicants.
"There are no such rigid cash limits," said Woidke. There may be reasons to deviate from this in individual cases and find regulations, for example, if a pregnant woman wants to buy a used children's buggy and needs more than 50 euros in cash.
If an asylum seeker has convincing arguments that a cash amount of 50 euros per month is not sufficient, then this will be examined, said the social welfare office of the county. So far, there has been one such case.
Landrat Schmidt stated, furthermore, it's also an advantage that the district now has an insight into the account management and financial circumstances of asylum seekers. "If the wealth of an asylum seeker exceeds certain limits, we pay out less money."
Counties beyond Märkisch-Oderland might also consider going it alone, following Brandenburg's Minister President's suggestion.Despite the social court ruling in Hamburg, Brandenburg sees no reason to change the cash limits on the payment card, as there are no rigid limits in place.
