German asylum benefits cuts violate EU law, top court rules

Key points

• In a victory for rejected asylum-seekers, the European Court of Justice has ruled they must be given more than just the bare minimum to survive.
• But as the EU's new migration pact kicks in, will relief be short-lived?
• What does a human being need to survive with dignity while they await asylum and to be transferred from one European country to another?
• That was the question before the judges of European Court of justice (ECJ) as they delivered a ruling on whether benefits provided by Germany fell short of the EU's expectations.
• The ECJ was asked to interpret the rights of an Afghan asylum-seeker, identified as FB, whose asylum application had been rejected by Germany and who was due to be deported to Romania, where he first claimed asylum in 2021. While FB waited to be transferred he was provided food, heated accommodation, and hygiene and healthcare, but received no...