Following the debate on a possible amendment to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the SPÖ has now tabled a motion for a resolution in the current session of the National Council. In it, the social democrats demand a clear commitment from the turquoise-green government to the ECHR. Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) also spoke on Thursday, describing the proposal of some ÖVP grandees as a “shabby diversion”.
The stumbling block was a proposal by ÖVP club boss August Wöginger, who called for a revision of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The rejection came from the Green coalition partner, but Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was not as dismissive as some might have expected. On the contrary, clear words came from Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) and Justice Minister Alma Zadić (Greens), both of whom described the ECHR as “non-negotiable”.
“Full commitment to the ECHR” demanded
Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also took the floor and issued a call for order in the direction of the ÖVP – not the first this year … Keyword: chat affair. With the application of the SPÖ, the matter has now also reached the House of Representatives, the Social Democrats demanded word for word: “The federal government is being asked extensive on which the authorto sort Europeann Convention on Human Rights to confess and for the unchanged validity this one fiercely enterfromnn Human rights are the pillar of the rule of law and not negotiable.” It is still unclear when the application will be processed.
Doskozil criticizes asylum policy failures
Burgenland’s head of state Doskozil said on Thursday that the ÖVP wanted to hide its own failures of recent years from its point of view: “You have done nothing,” Doskozil stressed to journalists. He was against an amendment to the ECHR and thought it inappropriate.
Numerous refugees with a negative decision cannot currently be deported – Doskozil spoke of 90 percent. That does not change when you start with the ECHR. Rather, the federal government should ensure that the deportations are actually carried out, Doskozil said. In addition, the ÖVP in Brussels should work on solutions in migration policy.
“Destructive Populism”
NEOS followed the same line on Wednesday. For them, the attempt to make the ECHR and the rule of law a “scapegoat” is a transparent maneuver by the ÖVP to distract from its own failures in this area over the past two decades, as its spokeswoman for home affairs, Stephanie Krisper , finds. Instead of “destructive populism”, several measures are needed, such as ending visa-free travel in Serbia for people from India, stronger external border controls, humane treatment and fair procedures, and distributing registered asylum seekers among all EU states with a residence requirement in these countries, according to Krisper.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
