Lawmakers in Germany are calling for tighter controls on unemployment benefits as the government grapples with rising welfare costs and concerns about abuse of the system.
Dirk Wiese, parliamentary secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), emphasized the need for reform to the basic income support scheme, Bürgergeld, warning that those exploiting the system must face firm sanctions.
“The majority want to work, but we must act against those who game the system,” Wiese said in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
He stressed that while many recipients are supplementing low-paying jobs, the situation highlights the urgent need for a higher minimum wage and stronger collective bargaining protections.
Tilman Kuban, a conservative Christian Democrat lawmaker, also called for stricter oversight. “Basic income should go only to those genuinely in need not to those who refuse to work,” he said.
In 2024, Germany disbursed approximately €46.9 billion in basic income support to 5.5 million people up by €4 billion from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs. The increase has been attributed to inflation-driven rate adjustments introduced in 2023 and 2024.
With no increase scheduled for 2026, the debate over tightening eligibility criteria and improving efficiency in the welfare system is expected to intensify.