MIGRATION & REFUGEES THE AUSTRIAN PERSPECTIVE

by Denis Strieder CONTENTS

 Chronology of the Occurences  Political Situation  Asylum - Facts & statistics  New laws  Labor market  Integration  Measures CHRONOLOGY

 Civil war in Syria, IS in Iraq, failed State Lybia, Situation in Turkey, full neighbour states, unterfinanzierte Hilfsprogramme, etc...  No perspective, german pull effect (Merkel), open boarders  Drastic reduction of the development aid in the past years  Italy , Greece and Malta appeal to the member states of the EU for an equal allocation of the arriving refugees  & Germany refused  Mikl-Leitner “Austria does not has the duty to receive more refugees“  Western Balkan route - refugee crisis in Austria  TRAIN OF HOPE – Train Station Westbahnhof

CHRONOLOGY

 Chancellor (SPÖ) forced to resign due to  ÖBB (Austrian national railways) - Chief new chancellor  Police chief Hans-Peter Doskozil (SPÖ)of the province Burgenland becomes new defence minister  fClosure o the western balkan route because of the initiative of foreign minister (ÖVP)  From Sep-Dec 2016 about 98 % less newcomers than from Sep-Dec 2015  Large scale of the population agree to the restrictive policies of Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP)

ACTUAL POLITICAL SITUATION

 Parlamental elections in autumn 2017 probable  Right wing party (FPÖ) rising and has chances to win the upcoming elections  Coalition of ÖVP (Conservatives) & FPÖ (Right wing) probable  Polarisation of the population (left – right)  Presidential elections in december 2016 – main topic refugees  Green candidate Van der Bellen won the elections against (FPÖ) (53 % - 47 % after the third round)  Governmental parties lost in the first round

ÖVP-Plan for Europe

 Closure of the Mediterrenean route  Less financial support  No asylum for people who migrate illegal  Island Solution –Australian model – protection zones in Northern Africa  Archetype Canada  Strengthen Frontex and the frontiers of the EU  Tough sanctions for people who don´t get asylum and refuse to return to their home countries  Financial sanctions for countries which don`t cooperate  Combating human traffickers  Adequate allacotion of refugees all over the EU

NUMBER OF PERSONS - ASYLUM

2015: 88 300 persons 2016: 37 500 2017: 17 000 – 37 500 ?

DEPORTATIONS

 10 600 persons in 2016  Most deportations in the EU per capita  Some countries refuse to take refugees back  Need for repatrition agreements  More effort of the EU-Commission is required  Demand for the connection of th registration data and criminal records  Upper limit POPULATION

 2016: 8,77 Mio EW, Vienna 1,8 Mio  2015: + 115 545 persons  2016 : + 73 215 persons  38 % Vienna  Share of foreigners: 1 342 758 persons (15,3 % ) (48,8 % of EU-member states)  2016: Afghanistan (+ 9 666 ), Romania ( + 9 146), Syria (+8 324), Hungary (+ 7 126), Germany (+ 5 197)  Croatia , Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Iran RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT

 Highest unemployment rate in history  Jan 2017: 422 262 persons = 10,6 %, Youth (until age 25): 10,5 %  Including training participants: 493 852 persons  3 543 000 employed persons (+ 55 000 in 2016)  Vacancies: 45 165  Natives: 8,1 %, Foreigners: 13,5 %  Highest rate: Vienna: 23,9 %  Syria (74,7 %), Afghanistan (46,4 %), Russia (36,6 %), Turkey (19,8 %), Ex- Yugosslavia (14,3 %), Romania (13,6 %), Poland (13,5 %) RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT

 Pressure on the labour market  Reasons: Economic crisis in Europe, Eastern European expansion of the EU, Migration, Refugees  Every fourth unemployed is a foreigner  The unemployment rate would decrease without refugees  Failures regarding the integration in the past decades  Huge challenges relating to the integration of the refugees  New measures for 160 000 new jobs – co-finacing for companies of the government – only for Austrians

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR REFUGEES

 Basic servive  Minimum colleteral  Familienbeihilfe  Mobil pass  Cultural pass  Fiinancial support for various other things  Financial support for returnees REFUGEES - COSTS

 420o Mi EUR budgetet,  2 Mrd EUR real money supply 2016 (ohne Mindestsicherung)  In den ersten 4 Monaten Grundversorgung, danach Anspruch auf Mindestsicherung und Familienbeihilfe  Familiennachzug (Eltern minderjähriger Kinder, Ehepartner, minderjährige Kinder)  Enormous pressure on the social system because of the rising costs of the refugees

INTEGRATION PROBLEMS IN THE PAST

 Especially regarding people from Bosnia, Russia and Turkey  High unemployment rate, lack of german language skills, parallel societies  Integration neclected for decades  Secretary of state for integration  Now department for foreign affairs, Europe and integration INTEGRATION PROBLEM – ATTITUDE

 40 % think religious orders are more important than national laws  45 % think that religious groups are not equal  80 % want religious rules for clothing in public  37 % want seperate swimming lessons for boys & girls

 Survey of Autumn 2016 – Sample: 900 persons  43 % Syria, 37 % Afghanistan, 20 % Iraq  80 % men TERRORISM & CRIME RATE

 Rising crime rate, also xenophobic offences  Organized crime (drug trafficking, human trafficking, etc.)  Upcoming gang warfare in Vienna  fDanger o radicalization, especially among young people  114 terrorists camouflaged as refugees (44 % of the terrorists), they receive social benefits  287 persons monitored (BMI)  IS is giving a special training for the procedure for grantog the right of asylum (BND – Okt 2017)  Demand for the connection of th registration data and criminal records

SECURITY MEASURES – FEB 2017

 Prohibition of wearing a Burka in public  Leg irons for monitored people  Ban on headscarves for the executive authorities, judges and prosecutors  Prohibition of salafistic Koran-distribution  Monitoring of Djihad-returnees  Telephon surveillance  Severe personal controls – transport companies  Registration of pre-paid mobile phones

PREVEAILING VIEW OF THE AUSTRIAN POULATION

 Refugees – main topic in the media and within the population  Opinions have changed, at the beginning of the crisis positive  Prevailing negative opinions regarding refugees, migration and muslims  „All further migration from mainly Muslim countries shoud be stopped“  65f % o the popuation agree  Fears because of the masculinization of public spaces

INTEGRATION - MEASURES

 Integration law  Integration year  German courses  Value courses  Kompetenzchecks  Eucation  1 Euro Jobs  Financial sanctions if measures are refused

MEASURES OF THE AUSTRIAN TRADE SOCIAL PARTNERS

 Cooperation of the trade union and the chambers of economy, labour and agriculture  Bad Ischler Dialogue  Common policy document regarding the integration & labour market  Kompetenzchecks  Alternance  Education  Reducing number of migrants, especially refugees  Quick Integration – labour market

AUSTRIA & THE WORLD

 OSZE -CHAIR NOW  UNO – SECURITY COUNCIL FEB 2017  EU-CHAIR 2018  NEW CONCEPT FOR THE EU (CONTEXT – BREXIT) Summary

 Problems regarding the Integration  New restrictive laws  oEffort t stop illegal migration  Changef o the political situation  fChange o the attitude of the population regarding refugees & muslims  fRise o the right wing party FPÖ  Polarization of the population  Renationalization & loss of trust regarding the EU  Sollutions on the European level are required VIELEN DANK FÜR IHRE AUFMERKSAMKEIT!