Opposition leader Friedrich Merz gave another interview and caused criticism on social media. The CDU boss told the news portal "t-online" that Germany's "very large" social network was "really attracting" refugees and migrants "from many countries". Germany takes in a lot of people and has high social benefits compared to other European countries, Merz said on Tuesday. "With the social benefit that will be called "citizen's allowance" in the future, it is often no longer worthwhile for immigrants to take up a simple job. And that is exactly what attracts people from many countries, it creates a so-called pull factor."

Merz continued: "Help is a requirement of the Christian image of man. But we shouldn't set the wrong incentives." A clear distinction must be made between "regulated immigration into the labor market, humanitarian asylum and illegal immigration," he said. The federal government is blurring the boundaries of migration law, Merz complained.

The leader of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag caused outrage last week with a statement about the alleged "social tourism" of refugees from the Ukraine. The 66-year-old publicly apologized a little later if his choice of words was felt to be hurtful. Merz told Bild TV: "We are now experiencing social tourism from these refugees: to Germany, back to Ukraine, to Germany, back to Ukraine." The background according to Merz: Initially, Ukraine refugees were entitled to care under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act - since June they have received basic security, i.e. the same benefits as Hartz IV recipients.

According to its own information, the federal government has no indications of abuse of services by Ukrainian refugees.