German mayors challenge payment of child benefits, including for Romanian children

Mayors of some cities in Germany have warned that social peace risks is being endangered because of those hundreds of millions of euros that German authorities are paying for the child benefits granted to almost 270,000 children of immigrants, including many Romanians, Die Welt and DPA report.

According to the federal government in Berlin, the number of the immigrants’ children who receive child benefits in Germany has increased by 10.4% in the past year. “269,336 children living outside Germany, in other EU or EES countries received child benefits in June 2018,” the German Finance minister said.

The statistics have stirred criticism among mayors of German cities, who warned over risks in the welfare system. “The federal government ignores the issue, it should do something, we are witnessing a migration due to the poverty within Europe. At present, we have around 19,000 people from Romania and Bulgaria in Diuburg, Sinti and Roma. There were only 6,000 of them six years ago, in 2012,” stated the mayor of Duisburg, Social Democrat Sören Link.

In his turn, Thomas Jung (SPD), the mayor of Fürth town,has tackled the issue within a meeting with the leader of the Social Democrat Party in Germany, Andrea Nahles.

The children of the immigrants who work in Germany receive child benefits up to EUR 194/month, with the budgetary costs reaching over EUR 600 million this year. Last year, the Germany authorities paid child benefits abroad worth EUR 343 million.
Statistics reveal that the number of the Polish children enjoying benefits in Germany has increased by 15,000 in the past year, the number of Czech children has been up by 5,000 and the one of the Romanian children has been up by 2,000.
child benefitschildrendiuburgfurthGermanyimmigrantsmayorsrisksromaRomanianssintisocial peacewelfare system
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