FPÖ calls for a harder line: abolish the ECHR as a protective shield for immigrants!

FPÖ calls for a harder line: abolish the ECHR as a protective shield for immigrants!

Nine EU member states have recently signed a letter calling for a reinterpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The move was welcomed by EU MEP Petra Steger from the FPÖ, who criticized the current interpretation of the ECHR as hindering effective deportations of illegal immigrants. This demand is part of a broader political debate in Austria and Europe about the balance between human rights and national security. Steger accused the ÖVP of double standards and warned that responsibility should not be passed on to the courts. OTS reports that…

The discussion about the ECHR is not new in Austria. The FPÖ federal party chairman Herbert Kickl had already suggested reforming the convention in 2019, but this was met with resistance at the time. Steger, who also serves on the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), is now calling for changes to the legal basis in order to prevent excessive interpretations and enable a stricter asylum policy. The irony that the ÖVP is led by Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the head of NEOS, who previously described a similar reinterpretation as “bullshit politics”, is not left unmentioned by Steger.

The significance of the ECHR in Austria

Austria joined the ECHR in 1958, and it has had the status of constitutional law since 1964. This represents a special feature among the 47 contracting states. The rights that can be derived from the ECHR are directly applicable to Austrian courts and administrative authorities. The Federal Chancellery explains that... The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg is responsible for monitoring the ECHR. The ECHR takes a dynamic approach and interprets the Convention as a “living instrument”, the interpretation of which is based on current social and economic realities.

Austria is also a party to other human rights conventions of the Council of Europe and strives to strengthen human rights protection. Maintaining the individual right of appeal to the ECHR is a central concern of the Austrian government. International commitments include, among others, the ratification of the Istanbul Convention to combat violence against women, which took place in 2014.

Human rights in the EU

The EU actively promotes human rights and democracy in its external relations and aims to shape all policies from a human rights perspective. The European Parliament emphasizes that... The EU has various legal bases to promote human rights, including Articles 2 and 3 of the EU Treaty, which set out the Union's values ​​and objectives. A strategic framework for human rights and democracy was adopted in 2012 and the third action plan for human rights and democracy is valid until 2027.

The EU also advocates for compliance with international law and uses a variety of instruments to address human rights concerns at the international level. These include, for example, political dialogues with over 60 countries, election observation missions and the development of country-specific strategies to strengthen human rights.

The current debate about the ECHR and its interpretation thus reflects the complex challenges that states face in their efforts to reconcile national interests and international obligations. The contemporary interpretation of human rights remains a central issue within the EU and its member states.