The grant of German citizenship, scheduled for January 1, 2023, may be postponed. The CDU/CSU union wants to block the law in its current form in the upper house of the German parliament. And the ruling coalition does not want to make big concessions. Civil assistance is higher than social assistance and does not mean a guaranteed minimum income.

It should replace the previous level II unemployment benefit. The ruling coalition parties want higher standard tariffs, lower fines than before and significantly higher guarantees.

Criticism of the opposition

The leader of the opposition CDU party, Friedrich Merz, criticizes the measure, saying that “it no longer makes sense for a large group of people to be available for regular work on the German labor market.”

CDU General Secretary Mario Chaya told Tagesspiegel: “The CDU will not be able to accept this. I think we will have to discuss it in the mediation committee.”

Chaya criticized the plan to introduce high levels of special assets: “A family of four should still be eligible for aid with assets of €150,000, while another young family works hard and pays taxes to fund the citizens’ income.”

“This is deeply anti-social and violates all the principles of the social market economy. Those who work should have more than those who can work and don’t,” he said, as quoted by the German press. It would also create the wrong incentives to bear the full cost of heating.

It was also argued that if there is no consensus, but only a mediation commission between the coalition and the opposition, the reform will not be able to take effect as planned at the beginning of the year, because the employment centers will not have time. prepare until

Reinhard Sager (CDU), president of the German Regional Association, indirectly supported the postponement of the reform. “Job centers are already overloaded,” he told Tagesspiegel. The citizenship aid comes at the “wrong time” because these centers are already “in full crisis mode” due to refugees from Ukraine and subsidized energy costs.

It will take enough time for training and more money for staff and advice. “I think the federal government has overlooked the gravity of the situation,” Sager said.

He also considers the planned norms too generous: “At the same time, the draft law contains social explosives, as the framework for ensuring the standard of living is clearly outdated. This can no longer be explained for low- and middle-income workers, who use their taxes to contribute to the financing of these benefits.”

Civil assistance in numbers

This is what the current draft of the law on financial assistance, which will be provided from January 2023, looks like, reports the profile site Buerger-geld.info. Bürgergeld 2023 – Voraussetungen, Beantragung, Freibeträge – Bürger-Geld Info (buerger-geld.info)

Compared to unemployment insurance level II (Hartz IV), the benefit will increase by 53 euros to 502 euros. In addition to changes in wages (30% share), the calculation should also include inflation changes (70% share).

The bill provides for allowances for adult partners and children. In the future, the standard rate for partners will be 451 euros. For children aged 14 to 17 years, 420 EUR is provided, for children from 6 to 13 years – 348 EUR, and for children under 5 years – 318 EUR per month.

To create greater incentives for employment, income should only be taken into account above the so-called additional earnings limit. Assets owned by the beneficiaries of the aid will be taken into account only 2 years after receiving it.