"Why these people"

Interior Minister plans tougher asylum requirements for Syrians

Interior Minister Karner announces tougher measures in the "Krone" podcast.

(Bild: BMI(C)MAKOWECZ)

The new synonym for the solution to the EU's asylum problems is the "Rwanda model". Denmark is regarded as the inventor, but has not yet implemented it. Great Britain is now getting serious. Austria wants a similar system change for the entire EU. ÖVP Interior Minister Gerhard Karner defends the model in an interview with "Krone".

A new law authorizes Great Britain to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda in Africa in future without any checks and regardless of their origin. Their asylum applications will then be examined by the Rwandan authorities. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) this week served to put pressure on and promote the model in the EU.

However, the plan also has a catch: reports from African countries such as Tunisia document serious human rights violations. Refugees are abducted and left to die in the desert. Is the aim of the Rwanda plan to push the asylum problem far away - according to the motto, what happens behind our backs is of no interest to us in Europe? 

British Prime Minister Sunak (left) was in Vienna this week.

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

ÖVP wants asylum procedures in third countries
Interior Minister Karner defends the model in the "Krone" podcast: "It is a shocking description of the system: deaths in the Mediterranean, deaths in trucks, deaths in the desert. It is therefore necessary for us to fundamentally change the system. On the one hand, through the asylum and migration pact with fast-track procedures at the EU's external borders. On the other hand, the pressure at these external borders must be minimized. This is only possible if asylum procedures can be carried out in third countries."

Denmark as an ally
Austria was the first to support the Danes - within the past year, a further 14 EU countries have joined the Rwanda model and "jointly approached the EU Commission and proposed such models", says Karner. There are still more than ten member states that are still opposed to the model.

Interior Minister Karner announces stricter measures in the "Krone" podcast.

(Bild: BMI(C)MAKOWECZ)

Italy is pursuing a similar plan in Albania. Refugees who are picked up in the Mediterranean end up in Albania instead of Lampedusa. "Italian officials carry out the asylum procedure here. The security personnel are provided by Albanian authorities," says Karner, explaining the procedure.

Europe pays billions to stop refugees
Are there any African countries that have indicated a willingness to become a kind of "asylum outsourcing service provider" for the EU? "You have to talk to these countries as equals, then there is a way. Chancellor Nehammer was in Morocco last year. I was in Tunisia with the Danish migration minister. Since then, deportations to these countries have worked better," says Karner. But things only work really well when the billions flow. Agreements such as those with Egypt or Lebanon cost several billion. "It's still cheaper than overburdened systems and social problems," says Karner, justifying the deals.

Tougher rules for Syrians
The next step that Karner wants to take is to tighten the reins on Syrians. The goal: deportations and not every Syrian should automatically receive protection status - as has been the case in recent years. "We need to increase the pressure and define safe areas in Syria. We must also be able to return Syrians to their home country," says Karner.

In this respect, you can't explain to anyone why these people are given protection status.

Gerhard Karner über sichere Zonen in Syrien

But how do you define safe zones in a country in civil war? "These regions do exist," the Interior Minister is convinced. "Around Damascus and a second region further north, which have become safer. This is also confirmed by the Cypriots, who have taken in many Syrians, as Syrians return to these areas or visit their relatives. In this respect, you can't explain to anyone why these people are given protection status," says Karner.

There is no fighting in the Syrian capital Damascus.

(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Do return agreements also mean that negotiations will have to be held with the Syrian regime? "An alliance is currently being formed to clarify how we deal with the issue," says Karner. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) is also involved. But ultimately there will have to be talks, otherwise "no plane can land in Syria".

Price increase for smugglers
It all sounds interesting, but is still a long way off. Until then, Austria only has the option of tightening border controls. Here, the Minister of the Interior believes he can document success with figures. "There were 12,300 apprehensions at the Burgenland-Hungarian border in the first four months of 2022. This year in the same period, i.e. from January to the end of May 2024, we have 255 apprehensions in Burgenland." But isn't the decline in asylum applications also due to the fact that costs have doubled? A smuggler now charges 3,000 to 5,000 euros. Karner also attributes the price increase to the measures taken at the border. "Because we have massively increased controls. Where it becomes more difficult, the trafficking mafia increases prices."

Karner relies on stricter border controls.

(Bild: Christian Schulter)

Surprise at the Ministry of Justice
In addition to the issue of illegal migration, the espionage affair surrounding Egisto Ott has kept the Ministry of the Interior very busy. A scandal whose traces also lead to the FPÖ. The case was not dealt with in the parliamentary sub-committee because the Ministry of Justice refused to produce Ott and delivered the chats at the highest security level. Was Karner annoyed by the conditions imposed by the Ministry of Justice? "Annoyance is not a category for the Minister of the Interior, but it does cause astonishment."

"Kickl is against democracy"
There are only a few months to go until the election. Does he believe that his successor will come from the FPÖ, or can the Ministry of the Interior no longer fall into blue hands? Karner does not want to get involved in speculation, but what gives him food for thought is "the radicalism with which some people are currently operating". When Kickl "starts a tour against the system, it must make you think. Because what does "against the system" mean? The system in Austria is democracy and a proper constitutional state! Anyone who agitates against these fundamental Austrian values is not for, but against the people and against our country!"