Integration report:

ÖVP dismantles Vienna, opponents see “failure” of Raab

Integration report: Around 1.8 million people belong to the so-called "first generation", they were born abroad themselves and moved to Austria.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) presented the integration report on Monday. Unsurprisingly, the parties' reactions to the report are varied. While the SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS accuse the federal government of "failure", the People's Party lashes out at the federal capital Vienna. 

"The integration report once again reveals the failure of integration policy and the problematic social welfare policy of Vienna's city government. Vienna attracts numerous immigrants due to its generous social welfare benefits", emphasizes Karl Mahrer, leader of the Vienna ÖVP.

ÖVP: "Vienna voluntarily pays 730 euros to beneficiaries of subsidiary protection"
According to him, Vienna currently voluntarily pays 730 euros to people entitled to subsidiary protection - more than other federal states. "The Basic Social Assistance Act must finally be implemented by the City of Vienna. It is high time that no more money is paid than in the provinces surrounding Vienna," said Mahrer.

"62% of social welfare recipients in Vienna are foreigners"
"The high level of migration to Vienna is further increased by the incentives created by the city," criticized Mahrer. The report shows that 62% of social welfare recipients in Vienna are foreign nationals. "In Vienna, 79 percent of Syrian, 73 percent of Somali and 59 percent of Afghan citizens receive welfare benefits - far higher figures than in the other federal states," said Mahrer. 

The latest reports of stabbings, gang wars and youth violence among migrants in Vienna are alarming. Inadequate integration and generous social benefits have made Vienna not only a social magnet but also a crime magnet.

Karl Mahrer, Landesparteiobmann der Wiener Volkspartei

ÖVP demand for the "right form" of immigration
According to Mahrer, the reform of social welfare presented by Federal Minister Susanne Raab is therefore an important step. For example, the Danish model, which provides for a waiting period of five years to receive full social assistance, should be adopted for social assistance. In the area of the labor market, refugees should be obliged to go "where the work is", i.e. away from Vienna and to those countries where there is a need.

Integration Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP)

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

(Bild: APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)

Mahrer also welcomes the pledge by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) for increased police deployment in Vienna, even if the police will not really solve the causes of the problems. "While the federal government acts, Vienna remains inactive. The city government must finally take responsibility and take effective measures to tackle the causes."

(Bild: Statistik Austria)

Minister Raab sees the fact that the report now shows a "halving of migration figures" as positive. The measures taken by Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) are having an effect.

SPÖ: "Confirmation of the ÖVP's failure"
The other parties, on the other hand, are taking full aim at the ÖVP. The integration report was "further confirmation of the ÖVP's integration policy failures of recent years", said SPÖ integration spokesman Christian Oxonitsch. Raab presents "the same bad figures year after year and makes the same demands year after year as if she were not the Integration Minister".

Raab presents the same poor figures year after year and makes the same demands year after year as if she were not the Integration Minister.

Christian Oxonitsch, Integrationssprecher der SPÖ

Caritas: "Concept of illegal migration is wrong"
For Caritas, the concept of illegal migration is "misguided", as people cannot enter the country legally to apply for asylum, according to X.

FPÖ: "Figures embellished in ÖVP style"
The FPÖ also sees the integration report as a "failure of the black-green federal government cast in figures". Raab presents the figures "embellished in ÖVP style and with the ulterior motive that Austria's citizens don't understand the numbers anyway".

NEOS: "The worst of both worlds"
For Yannick Shetty from the NEOS, the current migration and integration policy combines "the worst of both worlds". Too often, the wrong people are deported while there are "hardly any guard rails and stop signs" for people "who trample on Austria's basic values".

Language skills are emphasized
The other participants in the presentation take a less partisan view of the figures in the integration report. The Chair of the Expert Council, Katharina Pabel, nevertheless emphasized the importance of language skills. For example, 65% of those entitled to asylum and subsidiary protection who attended their first language course in 2023 would need literacy skills - including in their native language. She also spoke out in favor of measures for people who are yet to move to Austria, for example through family reunification.

2.45 million with a migration background
According to the statistical yearbook "Migration & Integration" presented together with the integration report, an average of around 2.45 million people with a migrant background lived in Austria in 2023. In relation to the total population in private households, this corresponds to a share of 27.2 percent (2022: 26.4 percent).

Integration report: Around 1.8 million people belong to the so-called "first generation", they were born abroad themselves and moved to Austria.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Around 1.8 million people belong to the so-called "first generation", they were born abroad themselves and have moved to Austria. The remaining 620,100 people with a migrant background are descendants born in Austria. The proportion of the population with a migrant background has risen by a third or 7.8 percentage points over the past ten years. The number of foreign nationals in Austria at the beginning of 2024 was around 1.8 million people. This corresponded to 19.7 percent of the total population.