FPÖ against multilingual driving test: integration or exclusion?

FPÖ against multilingual driving test: integration or exclusion?

In the heated debate about the driving test in Austria, the FPÖ and the small party SÖZ (Social Austria of the Future) are irreconcilably opposed. SÖZ chairman Hakan Gördü calls on the FPÖ to review its own principles: "Mr. Nepp went to school in Austria and had English lessons for years. If he is of the opinion that exams have to be easily passed in a foreign language, I call on him to take the driving license test in English," said Gördü. With this provocative request he criticizes the position of the FPÖ, which rejects a multilingual driving test.

However, Dominik Nepp, the Viennese FPÖ leader, emphasizes that only German can be accepted as an official language in Austria. In an interview with Today Nepp explained that the SÖZ's demand for multilingual testing represents a danger to integration: "The German language is a fundamental part of integration in Austria. Anyone who lives here must speak and understand it." The FPÖ warns that testing in different languages ​​could encourage migrants to isolate themselves from the German language and society, which could lead to “ghettoization”. This view is sharply criticized by Gördü, who emphasizes that it is the FPÖ that is actively hindering the integration of migrants with its measures.

The FPÖ's security concerns are also discussed. Nepp explains that misunderstandings when agreeing or rejecting the traffic rules could have fatal consequences. He therefore calls for a clear regulation: “The driving license test must be taken in German in order to ensure common communication on the roads.” The party sees learning the German language as an essential prerequisite for integration into society. Gördü counters: “The reality is different: those who do not understand the exam content 100% linguistically often fail, not because they are bad drivers, but because of their lack of understanding of the language.”