German asylum benefits cuts violate EU law, top court rules

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Germany's cuts to asylum benefits for rejected applicants violate European Union law, the bloc's top court ruled, requiring member states to provide more than subsistence-level support. The decision arrives as the EU implements a stricter migration pact, raising questions about whether the ruling's protections will survive the new enforcement landscape. Rejected asylum-seekers had challenged Germany's reduced payments, arguing they fell below human dignity standards. The court sided with the applicants, but advocates worry the EU's hardening stance on migration could limit the practical impact of the judgment.