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Austria’s Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (34, ÖVP), allows German Chancellor Angela Merkel (66, CDU) to criticize her position in the debate on the admission of unaccompanied minors from the burned-out Moria refugee camp.
Austria makes sovereign decisions, Kurz said Tuesday on the sidelines of a press conference.
As BILD reported on Monday, Merkel told the internal meeting of the CDU presidium that Austria’s role in European refugee policy “was not good.” There is now a plan to host another 1,500 migrants from the Greek islands in Germany after the devastating fire in the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.
“A very, very large number of refugees have already been accepted”
“We will not follow the German route here,” the Austrian head of government said 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. “
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 pointed out that this year alone, 3,700 minors have 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 instead of constantly accepting new ones,” the foreign minister said.
In Germany, there is cautious approval within the Union of Chancellor Merkel’s proposal and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) to allow another 1,500 immigrants into the country. Families with children who have already been recognized as eligible for protection in Greece should be taken into account.
The debate on the admission of more migrants should also play an important role in the afternoon (5 pm) at the meeting of the Union group.
From the Union parliamentary group, it was said that the end result is that the approval of the Merkel and Seehofer proposal is expected, but there will certainly be controversial discussions.
CSU presents its own plan
The CSU had already formulated its position on the issue Monday night. A three-point plan was developed at a regional group meeting under the leadership of Alexander Dobrindt:
Consequently, they want to expand local aid on Lesbos, campaign for a European solution – also as regards the operation of the camps – and, as a solution to the acute problem, accept a clearly defined group of refugees.
Merz skeptical
CDU presidential candidate Friedrich Merz doubted that there was a European solution for the distribution of refugees: “Apart from Luxembourg and Germany, no other EU member state is ready for this at the moment. It therefore makes no sense to continue looking for a ‘European solution’ for distribution, nor to enter a contest in Germany to determine how many immigrants we should accept. “
The approval of the SPD is not yet clear. The cabinet meets on Wednesday. Then a decision could be made.
Suspects arsonists arrested
Greek police arrested five suspected arsonists on Tuesday. The Minister of Civil Protection announced that another person is being sought.
“They are young migrants. Another is still being sought, “Greek Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis said on state radio on Tuesday.
The five alleged arsonists were said in police circles to be Afghans whose asylum applications had been rejected.
