Domestic policy

Salzburg wants to get tougher on migration

There are also bloody attacks among migrant groups in Salzburg: In February, a Somali man (34) died after a knife attack near Lehener Park.

(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

The new integration report shows that four out of ten respondents see problems living together in Austria. The situation in Vienna is a warning.

Austria is growing and Austria is only growing because of immigration," explained Tobias Thomas from Statistics Austria at the presentation of the 14th Integration Report. According to the report, 2.45 million people with a migration background lived in Austria last year. Of these, 1.8 million were born abroad. In addition, 1.8 million people with foreign nationality live in Austria. The largest groups are Germans, followed by Romanians, Turks and Serbs. The proportion of children with a non-German first language is 27 percent. In 2023, the number of immigrants halved to 66,000 and asylum applications were also just under half of the previous year at 59,000. According to statistics, foreign nationals accounted for 46.6 percent of suspects in the previous year.

According to the report, four out of 10 respondents believe that living together with migrants does not work well. Immigrants have a much more positive view of coexistence. There are difficulties with integration in the labor market. 62 percent of social welfare recipients in Vienna are foreigners.

Salzburg's Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) fully understands the negative attitude of the locals. Especially after the incidents in Vienna, but also in Bischofshofen, where a 21-year-old was recently beaten into a coma.

Salzburg clearly against new immigration
"Those who are here must first be integrated before others come," says Haslauer. He sees integration as a major challenge. Marlene Svazek (FPÖ) is clearer. "We need more rules and authority, which must also be sanctioned." She does not believe it is enough just to promote. For Svazek, the time has long since come to take a different path; learning German is a prerequisite. For Martina Berthold (Greens) too, by the way. "That is the basis for integration and the job market." David Egger (SPÖ) would also take strict action, especially against criminals. For him, more police and social workers are needed. "A lot could be intercepted at a young age," he is convinced.