Schuster in favor of rapid new regulations for Ukraine refugees

Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) believes that the planned new regulations for Ukrainian refugees should be implemented quickly. According to the federal government's plans, refugees who only sought protection in Germany after March 31 would receive benefits like other asylum seekers and therefore no longer receive a citizen's allowance. Schuster refers to the recent increase in the number of refugees from the country affected by the Russian war of aggression.

Poland tightens right of residence

This is due to political decisions in Poland, where the right of residence for Ukrainians has been tightened. In future, they will only receive social benefits such as child benefit if they work and pay taxes in Poland. There had been a dispute between the liberal Polish government and the new right-wing conservative President Karol Nawrocki over the law.

In Germany, too, the socio-political treatment of Ukrainian refugees has been under discussion for some time. In mid-2022, the German government decided to treat the refugees - unlike asylum seekers, for example - in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Security Code II, i.e. to grant them a citizen's allowance. The main reason for this was that in this case, many advisory and training services could be handled from a single source via the job centers.

Schuster: Rule change "better yesterday than tomorrow"

Schuster believes it is necessary to implement the planned change "better yesterday than tomorrow". "The current decisions by our Polish neighbors are having an impact. And that is why this change of legal system is necessary as soon as possible." Alongside Poland, Germany is already shouldering the lion's share of support for Ukrainian refugees in Europe, he said, referring to the fact that it has taken in around 1.3 million people.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the number of people seeking protection from Ukraine in Saxony has been steadily increasing recently. In the 31st calendar week from July 28 to August 3, 35 people arrived in the Free State, in the 35th calendar week (August 25 to 31) there were already 100.