Tomorrow, November 6th, Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) will appear before the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament as a candidate for the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs department. Petra Steger, EU MP for the FPÖ and member of the LIBE Committee, expressed massive doubts about Brunner’s suitability in the run-up to the hearing and at the same time called for decisive reforms in European asylum policy.
“The FPÖ clearly won both the EU elections and the National Council elections. The fact that a candidate from the voted-out ÖVP is still proposed for the EU Commission is extremely undemocratic and a disregard for the will of the voters,” said Steger. “Brunner is not the candidate who will represent the interests of citizens in the areas of migration and internal security. He lacks both experience and competence, both of which are essential for this key department.”
Steger referred to Brunner’s own statements that his expertise primarily lies in the areas of economics, industry and finance. “If even Mr. Brunner admits that he has no expertise in migration policy, the question arises as to whether this candidacy is in the interests of Europe – or whether the post-trading considerations that are common in the EU are in the foreground here,” emphasized Steger.
The FPÖ politician also criticized Brunner’s role in the voted out black-green federal government: “This government has allowed Austria to reach the highest migration burden in history. It has clearly shown that it has neither the will nor the ability to stop illegal migration. These failures disqualify every member of this government – including Brunner – for this job,” said Steger.
This is all the more true as a change of direction is now urgently needed: “European asylum policy has completely failed. Brussels leaves citizens in the member states alone – while the EU’s external borders remain largely unprotected. This is unacceptable. It is long past time for a U-turn towards a ‘Fortress Europe’ approach that focuses on the protection of external borders and effectively prevents illegal migration.”
At the hearing on Tuesday, Steger will therefore ask Brunner to give concrete answers on how he wants to strengthen EU external border protection and accelerate the return of migrants without residence rights. She also wants to know whether Brunner is prepared to respect the national sovereignty of the member states in the area of asylum policy if they take individual measures to protect their borders and curb illegal immigration and want to withdraw from the unsuccessful EU asylum policy, as the Netherlands is currently doing or Hungary.
“It is time for the EU Commission to respond to the concerns and demands of citizens and launch a sustainable remigration policy. If Brunner is not the right person for this – and there are many indications that he is – then this position should be filled by another candidate. There are enough suitable personalities in the FPÖ, which is entitled to this position based on the election results,” said Steger.