Sven Schulze, the newly elected Minister-President of Saxony‑Anhalt, has called for a stronger requirement that recipients of the “Bürgergeld” (citizen’s income) engage in community‑service activities. He told “Bild am Sonntag” that the first step is to identify those who could work but are not. “We need to talk about people who can work but don’t go to work” Schulze said.
According to Schulze, any state support must be accompanied by some form of contribution. He cited specific municipal tasks as examples: “For instance, helping out in a local community, sweeping leaves, or dealing with winter snow. Why shouldn’t healthy people who are at home and currently unemployed take on such duties?”
Schulze referenced the former “Bürgerarbeit” scheme in Saxony‑Anhalt and clarified that civic work is not prohibited in Germany. He warned against immediately stalling debate over legal hurdles: “We should not dismiss these models outright because of perceived legal obstacles. For the benefit you receive, we expect a reciprocal effort. It is wrong to stop the discussion and immediately declare what cannot be done”.
To ensure participation in volunteer work or language courses, Schulze proposes financial pressure and consequences. He stated that if a refusal is met with a reduction of Bürgergeld, “that’s the correct approach”. Though he acknowledges that this has not been applied in exactly this way before and is controversial, he argues it is ultimately part of social justice. “In the end, we must also consider sanctions and find ways to make it clear that people should not receive the full state benefit if they choose to avoid participation”.
