Urgent request in the Federal Council
Vienna (PK) – In form of a Urgent request The SPÖ put the issue of smuggling crime on today’s agenda Federal Council meeting. Since the interior ministers have failed to fulfill their responsibilities in recent years, it says, Burgenland in particular has developed into a “hot spot for international human trafficking crime”. There alone, there were 30,000 apprehensions of refugees and 289 arrests of smugglers in 2023, according to the Social Democrats. Attacks on the executive branch, car chases and traffic accidents – including fatal ones – would increase insecurity among the population and make the situation unreasonable for the police officers and the federal army on border operations.
The SPÖ and applicant Günter Kovacs (SPÖ/B) therefore sent 22 questions to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, in which they mainly asked about measures to curb smuggling crime. Topics discussed included the operations of the executive and the armed forces at the Burgenland border and abroad, police cooperation with Hungary, cooperation with third countries relevant to migration, the conclusion of further return agreements as well as the EU Asylum and Migration Pact and the solidarity mechanism provided for therein Distribution of refugees within the EU, which the SPÖ hopes will improve the situation.
Karner: Border protection measures have already had an impact
Austria is still one of the safest countries in the world, thanks, among other things, to a well-trained security apparatus, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner in response to his query. Nevertheless, Austria is not an “island of the blessed” because it faces special challenges. Karner mentioned the topics of cyber crime, extremism or terrorism and organized crime, which he also included smuggling. In order to contain the latter, border controls have already been expanded to Hungary and Slovenia and most recently to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Austrian police officers are also on duty at the Hungarian-Serbian border. These and other police measures appear to have had an effect, said Karner, as the apprehensions of “illegal border crossers” were reduced from 2,226 in January 2023 to just 100 in January 2024.
The asylum procedures could also have been accelerated by processing applications from those who had practically no chance of asylum in an “expedited procedure,” as Karner explained. This also led to around 30,000 illegal immigrants either returning to their homeland or moving on to other countries.
Since smuggling crime is a cross-border phenomenon, it is also essential to cooperate against it at the international level – especially with neighboring countries, stated Karner. He was “grateful” that Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer consulted with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, because this led to a sharp decrease in asylum applications from Indian and Tunisian citizens and thus to a “massive relief” for the Austrian asylum system.
Finally, according to Karner, the asylum and migration pact was concluded after “tough negotiations” at EU level. For the first time, there is an EU-wide commitment to adequate funding for external border protection and faster procedures at the external borders. This also ensures deeper cooperation with safe third countries. For example, a “training camp” is being set up in Tunisia together with the Danish and Dutch interior departments to train the border officials there. Karner also listed numerous other international projects whose focus was primarily on “on-site help”. Discussions to conclude further repatriation agreements are also being continued on an ongoing basis, said Karner.
Plenary debate about the federal government’s performance and the SPÖ’s credibility
In the Federal Council plenum, Sandra Gerdenitsch (SPÖ/B) expressed no understanding for the ÖVP’s “attempts at appeasement” in view of a dwindling sense of security among the population. It is only a matter of time before more people make their way to Europe and Austria again and an overloaded executive branch is already looking forward to the warmer season with trepidation. Dominik Reisinger (SPÖ/O) added that this is exposed to a “disproportionate risk” from attacks by smugglers and is overwhelmed by an “enormous amount of work”. He called for more police forces for Burgenland, which would also increase the feeling of security among the population. Both Reisinger, Gerdenitsch and Günter Kovacs (SPÖ/B) spoke out in favor of the EU-wide solidarity mechanism. If this had already been in force in 2023, Austria would have had to deal with only 16,000 instead of 58,000 asylum applications, Reisinger estimated.
Matthias Zauner (ÖVP/N) spoke of a “special spectacle from the SPÖ” in connection with the urgent request. He criticized the “nonsense questions” contained therein, such as those about the number of smuggling crimes prevented by executive branch operations abroad, which cannot be statistically recorded. Zauner also asked whether the urgent request had been made by the entire SPÖ or just by the Burgenland part. SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler, who is also a member of the Federal Council, did not sign the request. In addition, Babler has spoken out several times in favor of increasing immigration, said Zauner. His parliamentary group colleague Harald Himmer from Vienna also saw a certain inconsistency in the SPÖ’s stance. The ÖVP agrees with her that a common European solution is needed. However, the EU would only exist if it protected its external border.
The Upper Austrian FPÖ Federal Councilor Günter Pröller saw the SPÖ’s request as entirely justified. The federal government is turning a blind eye to the increasingly aggressive smuggling gangs and the still very high number of asylum applications compared to other European countries. Citizens paid the price with their dwindling security, the consequences for the justice, social and health systems and with the loss of their “right to homeland and identity”. For Pröller, it is not about better managing illegal migration, but rather preventing it. Interior Minister Karner “failed” in this, explained Christoph Steiner (FPÖ/T). But the SPÖ is also not credible in its request, as it has always advocated “unbridled” migration. Steiner described the demand for a European solution as “ancient saying” that has been reproduced since 2015 without having any consequences. In addition, a European solution simply means distributing the problem without “getting to the root of it,” criticized Steiner and called for a “Fortress Austria.”
Claudia Hauschildt-Buschberger (Greens/O) also wanted to “get to the root” of the problem, but argued in a completely different direction. She spoke out against further “militarization of the border” and advocated a solution based on fundamental European rights. Those who need protection must also have effective access to asylum procedures. It is important to expand legal escape routes and place a stronger focus on resettlement. This is the most effective way to combat human trafficking, which causes “infinite suffering”. To achieve this, all EU states must adhere to the applicable rules and ensure adequate reception conditions and procedural guarantees for those seeking protection, said Hauschildt-Buschberger. (Continuation Federal Council) wit
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