The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, is in favor of faster naturalization. This also provokes resistance in his own party.
The mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, presented citizenship reform proposals at the “Vienna Conference”. Austria has the strictest law in Europe: a ten-year waiting period, financial security, knowledge of German and a clean record. Ludwig wants to make access easier, for example by shortening the waiting period of five years. That alone would result in 902,387 neo-Austrians. Ludwig also wants to remove the financial barriers (many have low paying jobs) and automatically grant citizenship to those born in Austria whose mother or father has legally resided in Austria for three years. FPÖ and ÖVP are strictly against it.
Enthusiasm is also limited in the federal states. “Automatism is out of the question for us. The rules are good as they are. Citizenship is a valuable asset,” says Wilfried Haslauer, Governor of Salzburg, who conveys the story of the ÖVP. Johanna Mikl-Leitner from Lower Austria: “The minimum requirements are appropriate because the award must also be the end point of a successful integration. “
Headwind also from our own camp
There is also headwind for Ludwig from his own party: “For us, the new citizenship scheme is not a problem, and we do not understand the discussion at the moment,” explains Burgenland’s state manager Roland Fürst. “We also have a much bigger problem with inflation.” Peter Kaiser from Carinthia stands by Ludwig’s side. “We must have the courage to move forward. You cannot exclude every fifth person. This will neither strengthen democracy nor lead to social peace.”
Green for relief, but stay realistic
Political scientist Gerd Valchars spoke at the conference and says the 18-page paper was passed by a large majority despite some debates. He finds Ludwig’s suggestions useful. After all, the 1.4 million who live here (sometimes 10 years or longer) have no political say. The argument that right-wing parties block for fear of losing votes does not go far enough for him. “The same criteria apply as for the rest of the population. Age, occupation, gender, social classes, etc. All parties will adapt and try to appeal to the new groups of voters.”
What are the Greens saying? “Access to citizenship should be made easier,” the club said. “There is currently no majority for it, no agreement with the ÖVP was possible in coalition negotiations.” The reform paper must therefore disappear in a drawer for the time being.
Source: Krone
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