The government also formally agreed on Wednesday to a pause in family reunification for refugees. "The political will is established," stated Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) at the press briefing after the cabinet meeting. The legal experts of his department are now to create an appropriate legal regulation. An integration barometer is also to be developed, which will serve as a basis for the future quota of reunification.

60 Applications for Family Reunification

Currently, family reunification is not such a big issue. According to Karner, only 60 corresponding applications were submitted in February. This is probably mainly due to the fact that applications from Syrians have not been processed since the change of power in Damascus. Karner refers to measures he has taken for stricter scrutiny in granting reunification.

There were, of course, other times. In February of last year, there were nearly 1,000 applications. Such situations are being avoided. Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) argued: "If we always wait for the numbers to be as high as in the past, we will never create a prophylaxis."

According to the cabinet presentation, there were 9,254 entries of family members of protected persons in 2023, of which 6,443 were minors. In the previous year, there were 7,762 people, of which 5,331 were minors. Particularly noticeable is the influx of school-age individuals to Vienna. In 2023, these were 2,206 minors between six and 15 years old.

In the meantime, a burden has been reached that has overloaded the systems, said Stocker. A temporary suspension is therefore necessary to ensure that the systems' functionality is not impaired. Karner argued with problems in the areas of housing, education, and the labor market. The Interior Minister also addressed youth crime. Therefore, today is an "enormously important decision." In the "ZiB 2" of ORF, Karner expressed optimism that the law would hold legally and that good arguments for the measure would be found with the European Commission. The courts would then have to judge this.

Karner Sees "Enormously Important Decision"

In the meantime, a burden has been reached that has overloaded the systems, said Stocker. A temporary suspension is therefore necessary to ensure that the systems' functionality is not impaired. Karner argued with problems in the areas of housing, education, and the labor market. The Interior Minister also addressed youth crime. Therefore, today is an "enormously important decision."

The steps now planned were not possible with the previous coalition partner. Therefore, they are being implemented now, emphasized Karner. Central to this is the creation of an integration barometer specifically for family reunification. This should be the basis for the planned quota, which will eventually follow the complete stop. The barometer should reflect the burdens on the individual systems (including internal affairs, education, health, social affairs, housing, labor market, economy, and demographic parameters).

Specifically, the project is to be led by the Federal Chancellery. In addition, the members of the government are to provide the Interior Minister with all data and documents that reflect the given situation and possible forecasts in the respective systems.

Leichtfried Supports Decision

State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ) also supported the resolution. The SPÖ's goal in the asylum area is humanity and order. Irregular migration should be reduced to zero. With today's resolution, solutions are beginning to be found. However, he also called for solidarity from Europe as a whole in tackling the problems.

The Foreign Office State Secretary Josef Schellhorn, appointed by the NEOS, also committed to the project. However, it also requires the best possible integration and the best possible German support classes.

Criticism Was Voiced

Outside the government, however, there was criticism of the project. The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR stated in a release that the suffering of the affected and separated families must be kept in mind. The restriction of family reunification would also significantly hinder the integration of the affected family members living in Austria. Furthermore, legal escape routes would be further curtailed.

The human rights organization Amnesty International sees a clear violation of current international law. The acting Green Party club chairwoman Sigrid Maurer also expects that the project is not legally feasible. The federal government is relying on show politics, which it ultimately cannot implement: "It makes no proposal on how migration and integration can be better organized."

They oppose "stirring up racist resentments at the expense of women," says Klaudia Frieben, chairwoman of the Austrian Women's Ring. In many countries where wars are raging, women in particular live under the most difficult conditions.

Even within its own ranks, the SPÖ government party faces resistance. The red youth organizations gathered in front of the Federal Chancellery on Wednesday to demonstrate against the resolution: "From our perspective, this decision is pandering to far-right positions, as primarily represented by the FPÖ in Austria."

Kickl Detects "Empty Message"

The Freedom Party sees it quite differently. Their chairman Herbert Kickl saw an "empty message" from the government. After the Interior Minister spoke of a quota today, it is further confirmation that the ÖVP is not serious about suspending family reunification: "This is a classic double standard according to the taste of the ÖVP."

The federal government received support from Vorarlberg: Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) described the halt to family reunification in a release as "absolutely correct." The capacities in education, health, and social services are limited, and the burdens from immigration in recent years are noticeable. "It is right that the federal government is reacting here and will clearly regulate, taking EU law into account, who is allowed to come to us," he said.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.