The bill will be discussed in the government next week.
The German authorities plan to sharply restrict the access of EU citizens to social benefits. Next week the bill will be considered in the government.
According to the newspaper Funke Mediengruppe, EU citizens can expect to receive benefits only after five years of residence in Germany. This practice will save billions of euros. The purpose of the bill is to limit the influx of migrants who do not want to work. We are mostly talking about immigrants from Eastern Europe, says the Agency BNS.
New legislation was needed after a Federal court ruled that unemployed EU citizens in 2015 and 2016 are eligible for social security benefits after six months of stay in Germany.
According to the German employment Bureau, in January 2016 in total, there were 440 000 foreigners from EU countries that receive social benefits in Germany. More than any other among the recipients of Polish citizens (92,000), followed by citizens of Italy (72 000), Bulgaria (71 000), Romania (57 000) and Greece (46 000).
As the DW, not all of these people are unemployed. Many of them work, but their income is too small, so they receive financial support from the state.
As previously reported, the unemployed immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Lebanon granted asylum in Germany often go on vacation to these countries.
