Family reunification: Austria presses stop button - what now?

Family reunification: Austria presses stop button - what now?

On Wednesday, a significant decision on family reunification for migrants was made in Austria. The government has decided on a planned break that contains clear precisements and exceptions based on European law. This was reported by the Krone

Exceptions of this regulation apply to people who have good knowledge of German and where no additional burden on the systems can be expected. In addition, children are affected who do not have sufficient caregivers in the country of origin and who can travel to their parents. Likewise, pre -traveled children and adolescents, whose parents in the country of origin are the only caregiver, can benefit from the regulation. It is also important that minors are not allowed to slide into the age of majority by inhibiting the procedures; The age applies.

government sees itself at the end of the resilience

The Integration Minister, Claudia Plakolm, emphasized that Austria was at the “end of resilience” and that the “stop key” is now pressed. The break in family reunification is scheduled to begin in mid -May and is limited until the end of September 2026. Even if applications for entry are still possible, the course of the procedure is inhibited until the regulation is withdrawn or changed.

After the six-month break, the government plans to develop a quota system to limit family reunification in the future. These measures met with criticism from the FPÖ, which fears that a new wave of immigration could be imminent. FPÖ general secretary Michael Schledlitz demanded that the right of asylum for people who crossed a safe third country.

reactions and concerns

ngos such as Volkshilfe and Caritas expressed concerns about the new regulations. They pointed out that Austria is not in a total -state emergency that justifies to break European law obligations. Gerald Schöpfer, President of the Red Cross, emphasized that successful integration was only possible in a safe environment.

These current developments find their place in a larger European context, in which there have been numerous challenges in asylum and refugee policy since 2015. As in a report by BPB since the EU has tried the rules for To harmonize asylum procedures. Despite efforts, there are great differences in dealing with asylum seekers in the individual countries.

The attributants of asylum seekers in 2015 and 2016 led to considerable tensions between the EU countries, which is shown in the unequal distribution of asylum seekers. Germany, Italy, France, Sweden and Hungary in particular record most of the applications. The Commission even initiated violation of the contract against several states because they violated asylum law requirements.

The pressure on the European countries remains high, especially since new reforms for the Dublin Ordinance continue to be a long time coming. The measures and regulations with regard to family reunification in Austria are within the framework of these comprehensive and often controversial discussion about migration and asylum in Europe.