According to leading municipal associations, only approximately one-third of North Rhine-Westphalia’s (NRW) local authorities currently intend to implement the mandated payment card system for refugees.
Andreas Wohland, Deputy Mayor of the NRW Municipal Association, informed the “Rheinische Post” newspaper that roughly a third of municipalities plan to adopt the card, another third have rejected its implementation and the remaining third are still undecided. The Association of Cities in NRW corroborated this distribution, expressing concern over the low adoption rate. “We are not happy. If only one-third of the municipalities participate, it sends a negative signal” stated Wohland.
NRW’s Minister for Flight and Integration, Josefine Paul, has defended the opt-out regulation allowing municipalities to choose whether or not to implement the card. She maintained that the government believes it is appropriate to allow local authorities to utilize existing systems within the framework of municipal self-governance and democratic decision-making.
However, critical practical questions surrounding the card’s application remain unresolved. Notably, the planned transfer function – a key feature – is not yet operational in NRW. The Flight Ministry confirmed to the “Rheinische Post” that the SEPA function, enabling transfers, is currently not activated. They indicated that the legal introduction process for transfer and direct debit functions is ongoing, meaning these functionalities are presently unavailable.
The issue has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition within the state parliament. Lisa-Kristin Kapteinat, Deputy Chair of the SPD parliamentary group, described the card system as a “complete failure” particularly given the government’s promotion of it as a comprehensive solution to refugee policy challenges. She advocated for its abolition.
The NRW Refugee Council has also voiced strong criticism, characterizing the card as a form of “deterrence policy” that generates costs for both recipients, administrative staff and taxpayers.