At the current EU summit, migration is once again at the top of the agenda. One of the countries pushing for stricter regulations is Austria. Why is this issue so important to the government in Vienna?

Asylum Procedures in Third Countries

Austria believes that the planned changes to EU asylum law do not go far enough. More specifically, it is the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) that holds the decisive ministries in the black-green government and sets the tone in the debate.

After reaching an agreement with his EU counterparts on tougher asylum rules, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner immediately announced the need for further steps, such as asylum procedures in third countries, outside the EU.

Austria also repeatedly calls for a “robust” border protection. Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who is also from the ÖVP, wants the EU to pay for fences and walls, including in Bulgaria, which shares a border with Turkey.

Austria Refuses to Honour Agreement

Austria is not willing to accept migrants from camps at the EU’s external border – or pay for not taking in migrants. This goes against what the interior ministers had actually agreed upon.

The ÖVP argues that Austria has been sufficiently solidaric in recent years. They use the high number of asylum applications last year as their justification. Nehammer emphasizes that the number reached 109,000.

However, what Nehammer fails to mention is that more than 40,000 individuals evaded their asylum procedures. Most of them likely left Austria for other countries. The actual number is, therefore, nearly 40 percent lower than the one the ÖVP uses as their argument.

Global Desire for Reduced Migration

But migration is a politically advantageous topic in Austria. A survey this spring showed that reducing migration is more important to the population of Austria than in any other country in the world. Political scientist Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle sees the political majority in Austria clearly situated right of center.

Since the right-wing populist Jörg Haider entered the political stage in the 1990s, the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has consistently campaigned against migration. This partially right-wing extremist party has been leading the polls in Austria with around 30 percent for several months.

Parliamentary elections will take place in 2024. The ÖVP’s strategy is to counter the successes of the FPÖ by adopting their issues.

Blurring Differences to the FPÖ in the Election Campaign

Political scientist Thomas Hofer stated on the ORF television channel that the ÖVP has decided not to promote differences with the FPÖ, but rather to blur them. He sees this as a desperate attempt by the ÖVP to return to its old positioning under Sebastian Kurz.

So far, without success. The FPÖ has gained ground in several regional elections this year. Even though the number of asylum applications in Austria is currently declining, a change in course is not expected from the ÖVP.