Potsdam city council voted against the payment card for refugees with a large majority, in a resolution drafted by Die Andere parliamentary group. The motion was supported by the SPD, Greens, Left and Die Andere, with Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) previously supporting the card. The city council’s resolution stated that if the card becomes mandatory, the state capital should aim to make it as non-discriminatory as possible, listing minimum standards that should be met.
Arndt Sändig from The Other criticized the argument that the payment card was meant to prevent money from being sent abroad, as there is no concrete data on how much money asylum seekers transfer from aid payments. Meanwhile, the Migrant Advisory Council welcomed the decision and emphasized the importance of implementing agreed-upon standards. There is ongoing debate within Brandenburg’s government about the amount of pocket money for asylum seekers, with concerns about potential discrepancies in rules across different regions.
The city council voted against a nationwide legal basis for payment cards for refugees with a large majority. The resolution was drafted by Die Andere parliamentary group and called on Mayor Mike Schubert to work with the state to ensure that payment cards are not used as primary means of distributing money to asylum seekers. However, it may be too late as government factions in Bundestag recently agreed on a draft for a nationwide legal basis for payment cards.
