Austria's Chancellor Stocker meets Meloni: Migration and EU!

Austria's Chancellor Stocker meets Meloni: Migration and EU!

This day, the Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker will meet with Italy's Prime Minister Georgia Meloni in Rome. This meeting, which is initially planned as a four-eye conversation, will deal with central issues of the EU, including the current Situation in the Ukraine War and Migration issues. Meloni, who is at the top of the post-fascists, is considered a moderate and supported the EU sanctions against Russia, in contrast to the Austrian blue, which on this question takes a different attitude. Together with Meloni, Stocker shares similar views on migration, which also legitimizes the exchange between the two guides.

The meeting follows an EU summit in Brussels, in which Stocker spoke about the challenges in the European context. Above all, the customs conflict with the USA and the need for a new agreement were discussed. Stocker was concerned about the effects of deterioration in status quo on the competitiveness of Europe and American consumers. Hungary opposed the proposal to start extension negotiations with Ukraine, which ultimately led to a veto.

migration as a central topic

migration is a dominant topic in the current political discussion in Europe. This became clear at the EU summit, in which state and government heads from 27 Member States came together. A new reform package of the common European asylum system (GEAS) was decided that provides for faster procedures at the EU external borders from 2026. However, this planned reform is viewed internationally by experts and organizations such as Amnesty, in particular because of the dangers that it harbors for those seeking protection.

The discussions about migration are accompanied by growing political pressure in Europe, which is expressed in national measures to combat illegal migration. Germany has again introduced border controls to all EU neighboring states since September 2024, while countries such as the Netherlands and Hungary are demanding exceptions to the common asylum rules. These changes are also a reaction to the increasing irregular border crossings, which according to Frontex in 2024 rose by 192 % compared to the previous year.

Austria's position in the EU

Stocker recently also had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. In this context, he made Vienna as a potential location for future negotiations in connection with the end of the Iran Israel War that were "friendly". Austria also plans to increase its defense spending to strengthen the European security architecture while the country remains neutral.

The migration breakfast organized by Meloni served the discussion about a more restrictive refugee policy, in which EU accession candidates are to be viewed as a safe third-country countries. These measures aim to create faster asylum procedures and more robust exterior borders. While the EU countries agree to control migration better, the concrete implementations often remain controversial.

The political developments related to migration, Ukraine and the security situation in Europe show the challenges in front of which the EU is facing. Austria, under the leadership of Christian Stocker, follows a pragmatic approach that has both national interests and European solidarity in view.