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Former Bundestag President Schäuble: Opportunities for Germany limited
Photo: Virginia Mayo/ AP
Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) has spoken out in favour of reducing material aid for asylum seekers. "We have to realize that we can no longer afford this asylum policy," Schäuble told Zeit Online. He sees room for manoeuvre to reduce social benefits.
"If we offer a higher level of social benefits, we should not be surprised that people are trying to come to Germany as much as possible," said the former Minister of the Interior and Finance. "So we need a uniform, European level."
Schäuble warned politicians not to engage in such discussions with reference to the Federal Constitutional Court: "The argument that the Constitutional Court does not participate is an attempt to explain politicians who do not want to decide on these issues."
Support for Gauck
Schäuble emphasized that he supported statements by former German President Joachim Gauck, who had called on politicians to open up new leeway in migration policy, even if they "sound inhumane". Schäuble said he was "grateful for the statements of the former German president, who pointed out early on that our hearts are wide, but our possibilities are finite."
Against the backdrop of a sharp rise in the number of refugees, the debate about so-called pull factors has gained momentum in recent days. The FDP, for example, demanded that refugees no longer be paid cash, but only benefits in kind.
sms/AFP