Karner defends deportations: Austria is a pioneer in the EU!

Karner defends deportations: Austria is a pioneer in the EU!

As part of a confrontational interview with Armin Wolf, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) commented on the current situation of the deportations in Austria. According to Karner, the number of deportations in the first half of 2025 with 6,554 people at the level of the previous year, with about half of these deportations were voluntary. "35 people have to leave Austria every day," said Karner, describing the numbers as "very good and decent record" reports that ....

About half of the people deported has become delinquent, which Karner emphasized as an important aspect in the fight against tugs and illegal migration. However, the planned deportations to Syria have considerable concerns. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) recently temporarily stopped such a deportation after there was excitement to return a convicted terrorist. Karner described the stop as an "interim measure" and emphasized that all preparations for future deportations would be made to Syria , according to the crown.

Deportation policy and voluntary return

In the interview, Karner also dealt with the approximately 500 people who accepted the offer of a voluntary return to Syria. Return advice has noticeably improved compared to previous years in which it was "slow". However, repayments to Syria are also not excluded. He also rejected the UN's request to pursue the whereabouts of a man deported to Syria who has disappeared since then: "This is not our job" , Karner continued.

Karner sees the criticism of deportation policy as confirmation of his course. He stated that Austria was the first EU country to take active deportations to Syria. In 2024, a criminals condemned for terrorism was deported to Syria, the trace of which was then lost in the war country. Refugee NGOs were relieved to stop deportation, since basic human rights in Syria were not guaranteed , emphasize the crown.

EU plans for asylum policy

In the far-reaching context of the EU's liker, the EU Commission plans a new "return regulation" to accelerate the deportations of rejected asylum seekers within the member states. The Ordinance is intended to create a uniform solution for all EU countries and stipulates that an EU state can hand over to another Member State, which then carries out the deportation , reports ZDF.

So far, the returns in the asylum and migration package (GEAS) have not been treated because no consensus was achieved. The proposal aims to solve the existing problems and increase the number of deportations. This could also lead to a facilitated detention of persons subject to departure, which is considered problematic by critics. Return centers in third countries are also a planned model to sustainably reduce migration to the EU, whereby the effectiveness of these centers remains questionable , so on ZDF.

Overall, the situation in Austria and the EU shows how complex the challenges in the field of migration and asylum are. With the announced political measures and the ongoing dialogue, however, the authorities seem to be striving to find a way to improve the situation.