Germany’s highest court reached a groundbreaking decision this week when it ruled that it was “partially illegal” to penalize Hartz IV welfare recipients. We look at why critics have called to change the system since its beginnings.
On July 1st, the amount of 'Kindergeld' increased by €10 per month per child. We break down what exactly 'child money' is, and who exactly qualifies for it, even if they don't live in Germany.
SPD leader Andrea Nahles has said she will meet with disgruntled mayors amid growing concerns about a rise in the number of child benefit payments flowing into other EU countries.
On Wednesday the German government agreed on a draft law to severely curtail social benefits for EU citizens. Who does it apply to, and how does it differ from the UK's previous attempts to hinder immigration?
European nationals who move to Germany cannot expect to receive social welfare for the first three months of their stay in Germany, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Thursday.
One-third of unemployed people in Germany are unable to afford a square meal at least once every two days, figures from the Federal Office of Statistics showed on Monday.
The European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that Germany can deny basic welfare payments to European migrants - even if they've previously had a job in the country.
Update: The number of foreigners from crisis-hit EU countries receiving unemployment benefit in Germany has risen sharply, a newspaper reported on Tuesday, while youth unemployment is at an all-time low.
What would happen if everyone was suddenly paid €1,000 a month with no strings attached? "Let's try it," says Michael Bohmeyer, who raised the money through crowdfunding and will now experiment with the idea of a basic income for one year.
EU immigrants found abusing the German benefits system could be banned from re-entering the country for up to five years under a planned draft law. It comes as figures on Thursday showed migration to Germany has reached a 20-year high.
A German job centre will have to pay a jobless Spanish family unemployment benefits, a court ruled on Thursday, in an apparent contradiction of German law.
Complaints among Germany’s armed forces are up 20 percent in a year, despite the number of soldiers shrinking from 200,000 to 185,000. A delay in paying medical bills and worries over forces reform were the main causes of unrest in the ranks.
Thousands of British and American expats in Germany are living off unemployment benefit as calls to restrict payments to “welfare migrants” grow louder.
Unemployment benefits are seen as a stigma in German society with a new study comparing prejudice faced by the jobless with racism in the United States.
A man who lived on state benefits for just over six months must sell his antique coin collection worth €20,000 to repay the money he received, a German court told him.
