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Austria makes sovereign decisions, Kurz said Tuesday on the sidelines of a press conference. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had criticized Kurz for refusing to host unaccompanied minor refugees. “We will not follow the German route here,” said the head of government during a visit to the barracks in Lower Austria. “I also assume that many European countries will not follow this path, hosting large numbers of refugees from Greece. Here in Austria we have hosted a very, very high number of refugees in recent years.” Germany has agreed to accept 1,500 refugees from the Greek islands.
Austria is the third country most affected by migratory movements in the EU, Kurz said. Austria also took in most of the children after Sweden, he said. And she again pointed out that in 2020 alone, 3,700 minors had been granted protection in Austria through a positive decision in the asylum procedure. As a result, Austria has great challenges in the field of integration. It is important “to integrate the former rather than constantly accepting new ones,” said the ÖVP president.
The Greens continue to push for the acceptance of unaccompanied minors. The SPÖ and NEOS also criticize the ÖVP’s tough stance. The head of the FPÖ club, Herbert Kickl, has accused Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) of lying about his attitude towards the Moria refugees. The head of government is not taking a hard line, but has already granted refugee children from other sectors asylum, he told a news conference Tuesday.
