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 assistance for clothing and other household items. A law in Germany slashed benefits for rejected asylum-seekers in what activists described as "bed, bread, and soap" subsistence.
FB sued the Bavarian district of Schweinfurt after his benefits were cut in 2022, but the case finally ended up at the ECJ.
