Councillor Wiederkehr:

“Language, work and values are the core elements”

Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr also relies on the opinion of Krone readers when it comes to integration.

(Bild: Patrick Huber, Eva Manhart)

First interim assessment of our major series on integration. This is how Vienna's Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) reacts to the first letters from Krone readers.

Dear readers, how can integration work in Vienna? This question has so far brought the "Krone" hundreds of emails and letters. As reported, Deputy Mayor and City Councillor for Integration Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) is revising the rules for living together with immigrants - and is relying on the opinions of the Viennese. In a first interim assessment, we confronted him with readers' ideas:

Mr. Wiederkehr, many fear: Now nothing has happened for many years and just before the elections the parties discover the topic of integration, only to forget it again afterwards. 
I can understand that this impression of politics has arisen. On the left, the parties have ignored the problems; on the right, they have only made the problems bigger without providing any solutions. That's why it's important to me to start a sensible discussion with concrete solutions.

The image of women held by many men who come here is catastrophic. Some readers have now come up with the idea of putting these immigrants on compulsory etiquette and values courses that are only run by women. So that men see that women have a different status here than in their home country.
I think that's a very interesting approach, because in Austria you have to treat women and men with the same respect. For me, it is essential to respect the human dignity of everyone. And I also experience, especially at school, that female teachers, for example, are sometimes treated worse or that men don't talk to them. And that is not acceptable.

Fakten

1 day after arriving in Austria, refugees should be obliged to work, some readers demand. Christoph Wiederkehr is against "forced labor", but can imagine an integration year in the asylum procedure.

Legally difficult to implement, but many Viennese are calling for a complete cut in social benefits if it can be proven that German is not spoken well enough. 
In some areas, there are already consequences if conditions such as an integration agreement are not met. I also think that makes sense. However, it is not possible in all cases. And it certainly needs to be examined whether more legal consequences are possible here. But only the federal legislator can do that. In some cases, however, a reduction is already the case if, for example, language courses are not attended.

So in your view, it would be desirable to extend the consequences for those who refuse to integrate?
We should definitely look into what additional measures can be taken if people are not prepared to learn the language or accept our values. I'm definitely in favor of that.

I am in favor of the right to work from day one. That doesn't exist in Austria yet.

Integrationsstadtrat Christoph Wiederkehr

Many people are calling for compulsory work from day one. Not just collecting garbage, but working in the crypt or helping out in care, for example. 
I am in favor of the right to work from day one. That doesn't exist in Austria yet. There are still conditions attached to whether you are allowed to work. And that would be an important step. I'm not in favor of forced labor, that wouldn't hold up legally either. But what I can imagine is a mandatory integration year in the asylum procedure.

What should this integration year include? 
An integration year should teach values and language and introduce people to work. For me, these are the three core elements for successful integration. Language, work and values. I have also seen that this is a common thread in the letters from Krone readers.

Housing is important to our readers. They are calling for a better distribution of refugees throughout Vienna to avoid residential ghettos. 
In Vienna and in Austria, every individual has the freedom to look for an apartment where he or she wants to live. This freedom is a good thing. However, it is also the city's task and duty to ensure a mix. We do this by planning municipal buildings, cooperatives and privately financed apartments to prevent concentrations of individual ethnic groups.

With room for improvement?
Always. Housing is a huge task for the city. That means creating enough new apartments and ensuring that the mix works well. However, we can see in some parts of the district that this is also going in a positive direction. At Yppenplatz, for example.

Can the Viennese really expect a new integration manifesto by the fall or is it all just a PR show for a press conference? 
We can already see from the large turnout, for example from Krone readers, that the discussion is necessary and that we need to discuss all the proposals together. There will be a convention on values with religious communities and civil society to lay down the rules. We need the federal legislator for many things. But I also see it as my task to demand greater binding force here."

Wiederkehr concludes: "The good thing about the process is that it's not just about my opinion."