ÖVP under fire: Stop the family reunification ensures outrage!

ÖVP under fire: Stop the family reunification ensures outrage!

Österreich - The FPÖ practiced sharp criticism of the planned suspension of the family reunification for asylum seekers on Sunday, which is to be decided in the upcoming Council of Ministers. The security spokesman Gernot Darmann described this step as a "huge ÖVP bluff" and accused the government of pretending to present a restrictive migration policy with this measure. "This is a bad fake package," said Darmann, who expressed fear that illegal immigration could become legal routes. According to Darmann, the government is planning a "family reunification wave" that uses after the six-month suspension and ensure that existing quotas are exceeded. The FPÖ calls for an immediate and permanent stop of the family reunification.

Minister of Women and Science Eva Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) confirmed in the ORF “press hour” that the family reunification stopped was part of the coalition program and that the Council of Minister was treated next Wednesday. The aim is to process the procedures at the EU's external borders in the future. Holzleitner emphasized that the coalition could not enforce all positions of the parties involved, but confirmed the upcoming evaluation of the access restrictions at universities until 2027. In addition, it emphasized the need for an honest evaluation in order to check the effectiveness of the existing regulations. The further development and cooperation in the education sector described them as essential, especially with regard to the responsibilities of the various ministries.

These profound measures on migration policy and education policy raise questions about how the government can implement its goals in the middle of the different positions of the coalition partners. While the FPÖ vehemently takes place for a drastic tightening of immigration policy, the SPÖ tries to find a middle ground as part of the government program that takes into account the different claims of the partners. The upcoming decisions in the Council of Ministers could have far-reaching influence on the Austrian immigration policy, as well as on the country's educational landscape, such as oe24.at and orf.at report.