The German government has approved a draft bill intended to dramatically reduce European Union citizens’ access to the country’s social welfare system. Under the proposed law, EU citizens would be forbidden from drawing benefits for their first five years in Germany. The law would not exclude EU citizens currently in employment from entitlement to welfare payments, or those who have rights to payments because they have worked. Nahles said: “What’s clear is that those who live, work and pay their contributions have a legal right to benefits from our social welfare system. In June 450,000 people from the 27 other EU member countries were receiving social welfare benefits in Germany – a total of 12% of all EU foreigners in the country.

Source: The Guardian October 12, 2016 13:56 UTC