SPÖ demand

Karner rejects Hungary lawsuit over asylum policy

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner(Bild: BMI(C)MAKOWECZ)

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) has rejected the SPÖ's demand to sue Hungary. Illegal migration at the Austrian-Hungarian border has been "massively" reduced and cooperation is working "very well".

"Now that we are pushing illegal migration practically to zero, suing someone where cooperation is working very well (...) the SPÖ is actually very, very late to the game here," Karner explained in Laxenburg on Tuesday. "Two years ago, we had 16,400 illegal border crossings at Hungary's border with Burgenland in the first half of the year, now there were 290 in six months." However, this is still no reason to celebrate, the work must continue.

SPÖ obtains expert opinion
A functioning EU external border guard, fast procedures and better cooperation with third countries are important. Talks on this are already taking place at various levels. "This is where Europe and the Commission come in." As reported, the SPÖ had called for an EU lawsuit against Hungary on Monday. The neighboring country's asylum policy would violate EU law and overburden other states such as Austria, it said. A legal opinion was also obtained for this purpose.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó(Bild: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

"This is unfair", commented Hungary's Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Tuesday during a visit to Vienna. After all, the migrants do not come to Austria via Hungary. His country had also protected Austria and the entire EU in recent years. The Austrian authorities should investigate where the migrants are coming from. In fact, refugees are regularly apprehended in Austria at the Hungarian border.

Hungary wants to move closer to the FPÖ
Although Szijjártó from the right-wing nationalist governing party Fidesz said he did not want to interfere in Austrian domestic politics, he welcomed the gains made by the Freedom Party. The Hungarian government agrees with the FPÖ on many issues and has similar answers. They are prepared to deepen their cooperation. An FPÖ-led government "would be a completely new dimension for the strength of the patriots and the sovereignists in Europe if strong cooperation could be established between Hungary, Austria and Slovakia."