As of: February 19, 2024, 1:08 p.m
By: Christoph Gschoßmann
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Press
Split
The traffic light parties are divided on the payment card for asylum seekers.
Hesse's Prime Minister Rhein appeals to the Chancellor.
Berlin - Traffic light dispute over the planned payment card for asylum seekers: The sticking point is the question of whether a federal regulation is necessary or at least sensible for the introduction of the card.
The Greens are against it, but representatives of the FDP and SPD factions as well as the head of the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK), Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), spoke out in favor of it at the weekend.
The Habeck party, on the other hand, considers the existing legal options in the Bundestag to be sufficient.
Rhein with clear words to Scholz - Kubicki threatens to break the coalition
MPK leader Rhein accused the Greens of a “blockade” and demanded a word of power from Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
“The Chancellor must now speak out in favor of a realistic political course for the traffic light on migration,” he told the German Press Agency.
The payment card is an important step “to reduce incentives for irregular migration, prevent misuse of asylum benefits and combat smugglers”.
14 of 16 federal states have agreed on a joint procurement process to introduce a payment card for asylum seekers.
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
If the dispute does not resolve itself, it could cause a political earthquake.
FDP vice-president Wolfgang Kubicki even threatened to break up the coalition.
He told
Bild
: “If the Greens actually torpedo this minimally invasive intervention in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, it will question the continuation of the coalition.”
Lindner expects many Aysl applicants to leave the country because of the payment card
The FDP chairman Christian Lindner also told the
Münchner Merkur
that the card must be introduced across the board.
The coalition partner should give in quickly.
“The Greens’ resistance to an agreement in the government and with the states comes as a surprise.
The Greens must not jeopardize the consensus of all democratic parties,” said the 45-year-old.
Lindner said that the payment card, together with “the reduction in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act that I initiated, could contribute to a significant reduction in the numbers.” Linder “expects a significant number of asylum seekers who will leave the country because our welfare state is suddenly no longer so attractive.”
SPD wants to provide federal states with legal certainty when it comes to payment cards
The SPD expressed itself similarly: “We must now provide the federal states with legal certainty when it comes to payment cards.
We promised them this back in November.
All parliamentary groups should now adhere to this,” said deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese to the Berliner
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Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) also told the paper: “It must be possible to support a compromise within the traffic light coalition that is agreed between the federal government and 16 state governments of a wide variety of stripes.”
Greens see no need for payment cards
The Greens see no need for this.
Its Parliamentary Managing Director Irene Mihalic referred to the introduction of the payment card in Hamburg and the planned introduction in Bavaria in two weeks.
She told the
Germany editorial network
: “The countries have all the legal options they need, and they are apparently being used.
This has been discussed in the coalition and has also been represented by the Chancellery for months.”
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (l.) was surprised by the Greens' position with regard to the payment card.
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
At the end of January, 14 of 16 federal states agreed on a joint procurement process to introduce a payment card for asylum seekers, which should be completed by the summer.
Among other things, the card is intended to prevent refugees from transferring money to smugglers or to their family or friends abroad.
The chairwoman of the German Social Association, Michaela Engelmeier, spoke of a “populistically charged sham debate that distracts from the real problem”.
“Efforts must be directed primarily at rapid integration into the labor market,” she said.
“This helps to cope with our labor shortage and means that people can earn their own living.”
(cgsc with dpa)