Sachsen-Anhalt’s Minister-President, Sven Schulze (CDU), has demanded that stricter measures be implemented for recipients of the Citizen’s Income (‘Bürgergeld’). Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Schulze highlighted the problem of instances where benefits are received without any expectation of reciprocal contribution.
According to the CDU politician, this situation is unfair to those who fund the program-workers and entrepreneurs-as well as to other groups who do contribute despite challenging personal circumstances, such as single parents, those seeking supplementary income, and individuals enrolled in retraining or language courses.
Schulze stated that full-time working individuals who are physically capable but remain unemployed at home from Monday to Friday should not continue receiving benefits without cause. He noted that Sachsen-Anhalt itself has thousands of vacant job positions, yet simultaneously has many residents who could work but are not doing so. As an example, he cited the harvest season: “Apples are being picked, but the help usually comes from Eastern Europe”. This observation led him to question why the region is not utilizing this untapped potential among the very people currently receiving benefits.
