Moria: Reactions of the ruling parties – Austria

The ÖVP and the Greens can count on the support of their national parties in the conflict within the coalition over the admission of refugee children from the burned-out Greek camp of Moria. Neither in the ÖVP nor in the Greens is the line of the respective federal party in doubt, revealed this Monday an APA broadcast.

The ÖVP still strictly refuses to bring children from Greece to Austria. “I support Sebastian Kurz and the federal government in this decision,” Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) said on the sidelines of a working meeting with Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg. You have to help on the spot, so he thinks the help in the form of heated accommodation is correct. “Because, of course, your heart bleeds when you see the terrible images of Greece. But from a Christian social perspective it is not just about doing a little populist thing, but about helping effectively. Now we have to take the right measures and, above all, everything, create local perspectives. ” Compared to other EU countries, Austria has already taken in a large number of children; In the current year alone there have been about 3,700. “We are already making an important contribution that is not just symbolic.”

The governor of Salzburg, Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP), also joined the arguments of the leader of his federal party and expressly supported the measures planned by the federal government. It is important to help refugees quickly on the spot so as not to waste time, their APA spokesman said. Taking in refugees from Moria would create a “pull” effect, he said. “We reject those methods in which your own housing is burned and extinguishing work is also hampered. Methods in which pressure builds must be rejected.”

The office of Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) also confirmed that a redistribution of refugees in EU countries would not solve the problem. Similarly, Burgenland ÖVP chief Christian Sagartz welcomed the decision that “Austria is staying true to course”. “Moria’s photos don’t let anyone sleep in peace. But we don’t want the 2015 refugee crisis to repeat itself.” Unsurprisingly, the Vienna ÖVP with Finance Minister Gernot Blümel at the helm is fully on the national line.

The chairman of the Upper Austrian ÖVP regional party, Governor Thomas Stelzer, did not answer the question whether he was in favor of hosting refugees, but stated at the APA’s request: “The photos from the refugee camp shake me.” Quick help on the site is now the most important thing. It therefore welcomes the announced measures. It is clear: “Migration and refugee policy needs a European solution. I hope that the EU Commission will quickly present a proposal leading to an agreement.” Austria has always helped and will continue to do so.

The Greens also do not criticize the course of their own federal party: Styrian Greens leader Sandra Krautwaschl told the APA that her party colleagues “would fight with the ÖVP for the refugees in Moria by all means.” You see Chancellor Kurz bite into granite. Krautwaschl emphasized that there will now be help from Austria at the site on Lesbos, but continues to advocate for the acceptance of unaccompanied minor refugees. “It is outrageous that despite so many voices in favor of more humanity, there is no movement from the Chancellor.” However, Krautwaschl also said that the Federal Green Party should not risk a break in the coalition when voting: “A break in government would in any case be the worst option for refugees in this country. It is our duty to continue fighting within the coalition for refugees. “

The state spokesman for the Upper Austrian Greens, Provincial Councilor Stefan Kaineder, pointed out that voting with the SPÖ and NEOS would not bring a majority anyway, that is, it would be in vain. The problem was not with the Greens, but with the ÖVP, which was divided, Kaineder said. “I therefore call on the ÖVP to abandon its blockade.” Kaineder estimated that in Upper Austria alone there were several hundred places available for refugees.

Vorarlberg Green Party leader Johannes Rauch also said Austria had to host 500 people naturally: Vorarlberg had “enough space and enough heart for at least 50 of them.” That has nothing to do with refugee policy or even immigration, but with humanitarian aid and humanitarian aid. Approving the opposition motions on the subject is out of the question for Rauch, because then you would immediately have a turquoise blue majority against you: “Whoever wants to open this door loses, that is the reality of power politics.”

Voting against ÖVP is not a solution for Regina Petrik, president of the Burgenland Greens club. She spoke in favor of continuing to negotiate and not giving up. The Greens of Lower Austria did not want to inform the federal party about the behavior of the coalition through the media, state spokeswoman Helga Krismer said at the request of the APA. It is clear that the attitude towards people in need differs “blatantly” between the ÖVP and the Greens.

The green deputy governor of Tirol, Ingrid Felipe, convinced the APA that her fellow party members in the National Council “fight with all their might so that Austria, as is our good custom, shows itself humane and accepts those affected by Moria “. Several cities and communities have already declared their disposition, Felipe recalled. The green mayor of Innsbruck, Georg Willi, currently sees no danger of the coalition collapsing on the issue, “but it is a question of fundamental issues and attitudes.” Personally, she believes that it is good to accept refugees and Innsbruck is ready to do so. The corresponding resolution of the June City Senate would be available. In any case, she is making an effort and attached to it, a round table is scheduled for Tuesday in the presence of experts in the Tyrolean capital.

The opposition went to the extraordinary session of the National Council on Monday with four different motions on the crisis in the Greek refugee camp of Moria. A majority could not be expected for any of the resolutions: nor for those of the SPÖ and NEOS that campaigned for the admission of underage refugees from the camp. Still due to the contrary demand of the FPÖ.

The head of the Green Club, Sigrid Maurer, had already made it clear on Sunday that she would be in favor of accepting refugees from the burned camp on the island of Lesbos, but that she would not yet vote with the opposition. “If we vote for him, we will break the coalition,” Maurer said. And the ÖVP sent “unequivocal signals” that they wanted to vote with the FPÖ in such a case.

In any case, green approval would not bring success to the SPÖ and NEOS applications. A joint decision of the ÖVP and the FPÖ would very well have a majority. In the run-up to the meeting, the Freedom Party announced a motion for a resolution calling on Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) to “guarantee at the national level that migrants from Moria are not accepted” and reject this also at the level of the European Union.

However, in its motion, the SPÖ asked the government to work with Greece and other EU members to ensure decent accommodation for asylum seekers from Moria. And “as a humanitarian emergency measure”, from the perspective of the SPÖ, the admission of unaccompanied children and minors should also be possible. In two requests, NEOS also requested the admission of refugee children from the burned-out Greek camp.

NEOS MP Stephanie Krisper harshly criticized Chancellor Kurz and the ÖVP’s refusal to accept refugees. She accused the government of “malicious internal political calculations.” She held both Kurz, who was blocking any European solution to the refugee crisis, and the Greens responsible. Because for vulnerable people there is no difference between FPÖ and green government involvement, Krisper said.

Most were not in sight for any of the motions. And the coalition’s own resolution was not planned, according to the ÖVP club. The government recently announced that it will not participate in the planned admission of refugees from Greece by various EU countries. Instead, 400 auxiliary shelters will be sent to Greece, as well as a doctor and 10 paramedics from the armed forces.

Around a quarter of all asylum applications in the EU are made by children and young people under 18 years of age. According to Eurostat, more than 192,000 asylum applications came from minors in 2019. More than 14,000 asylum applications came from unaccompanied minors, that is, seven percent of asylum seekers who have not yet reached the age of 18 and around the five percent of all asylum seekers.

Across the EU, the number of applications from under 18s was halved in 2017 after a rapid increase in 2015 and 2016 (almost 380,000), and fell further in 2018. In 2019 it rose again slightly for the first time time (192.145).

In Austria, the decline already occurred from 2015 (31,655) to 2016 (17,365). In 2018, the number of asylum applications by children and young people in Germany was halved again to 6,375. With 5,900 applications from minors, the downward trend in Austria continued in 2019, contrary to the trend in the EU.

In contrast, the proportion of unaccompanied minors in Austria increased by 120 percent. With 860 applications, this number is far from that of 2015, where a historical record was recorded with 8,275 arrivals of unaccompanied minors. Then the number dropped significantly in 2018 and, at just 360, it was lower than it has been in ten years. The EU asylum office EASO explained the increase from 2018 to 2019 a few months ago with the most frequented Balkan route, along which the proportion of children and young people is particularly high.

In addition to Austria, according to the statistics authority, Belgium (plus 63 percent), Greece (plus 26 percent) and Slovenia (plus 21 percent) also saw high increases in unaccompanied minor applications in 2019.

At the EU level, the highest number of asylum seekers classified as unaccompanied minors was registered in Greece last year (3,300 unaccompanied minors or 24 per cent), followed by Germany (2,700 or 19 per cent), Belgium (1,200 or 9 percent) and the Netherlands (1,000 or eight percent).

According to the European Statistical Office, Afghanistan is the main country of origin for asylum seekers in the EU who have not yet reached the age of 18. Across the EU, 30 per cent of all unaccompanied minors came from Afghanistan in 2019, followed by young Syrians and Pakistanis at 10 per cent and minors from Somalia, Guinea and Iraq at 5 per cent each. Of the 1,400 Syrians who sought protection in EU countries in 2019 and were classified as unaccompanied minors, according to Eurostat, almost two-thirds applied for asylum in Greece, Germany or the Netherlands (300 people each).