“If we accept refugees, there are more limits” – politics

As reported, the ruling ÖVP and Green parties are currently clashing a bit. Because asylum policy was from the beginning the biggest difference between the coalition partners. Now that the Moria refugee camp has caught fire on Lesbos, more than 12,000 people must be cared for. The Greens want to take in unaccompanied children, the ÖVP is strictly against it.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) was a guest on the topic on “ZiB2” with Armin Wolf. What speaks against taking in 100 unaccompanied children, as Vienna would like to do? Schallenberg: “The images are terrifying, we will help. I have already offered a million from the foreign disaster fund. The Greeks have signaled to the EU that they can handle the situation themselves. Falling back on old debates like 2015 is not a solution either” . . We will continue to help. “

You have to consider what signals you are sending. “If we distribute people all over Europe, people could hope again and find themselves in the hands of smugglers. I warn you not to fall back into the old logic. That is a matter of common sense,” said the minister. You need a solution at the European level. The Commission will present a proposal at the end of September.

“No cynicism”

Wolf insisted that this would not help the people of the camp now. Schallenberg: “A minority of states want to distribute. Hypothetically speaking: tomorrow we will empty the warehouse. In a few months we will have 13,000 people in Moria again. I guarantee it. It is an endless cycle.”

ORF presenter Wolf insisted and asked the minister if he was not cynical to use the dire situation in Moria as a deterrent. “It’s just about ‘a few people’ at a time. That’s not cynical pragmatism, but realistic,” Schallenberg said. These are the lessons learned from the 2015 refugee crisis. “If we go back to politics tomorrow, we will have 10,000 people on the Spielfeld border in a very short time.”