Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) took stock of the asylum situation in Austria in the “Krone” interview. He made an excavation at Herbert Kickl, one of his predecessors (FPÖ). During Karner’s time as interior minister, asylum seekers had fallen into basic care. The current FPÖ boss, on the other hand, is only crazy about talking.
The asylum chaos almost seamlessly replaced the energy crisis. The gas supply is no longer a problem, but the refugees are just as present as in 2015. The Interior Minister vetoed the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to Schengen. Gerhard Karner takes stock of the year in the “Krone” interview.
“crown”:Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) says that according to your vetologic, Hungary should also be expelled from the Schengen area. Did you make a mistake here?
Gerard Karner: If you will, the Vice-Chancellor is absolutely right. Because Schengen no longer works in most corners, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. If we have 75,000 illegal border crossings in Burgenland in one year, we cannot expand the Schengen area.
When will Austria give up its veto on enlargement?
I am not limited to a certain time. We’ve been talking about expansion for 11 years. A year up or down doesn’t matter anymore. Action must follow.
After the Schengen veto came the demand for fences. Is that thought through to the end?
There is artificial fuss about the border fences. They already exist in Hungary or in the Spanish enclaves.
Terrible scenes take place on these fences.
That’s correct. It is precisely because of these pictures that we need to discuss asylum procedures in safe third countries so that people do not hide behind fences.
The movement of refugees from Ukraine strained the situation in the neighborhood in 2022. What is the forecast for Ukraine for winter?
For Ukrainians, the numbers are very consistent. More than 80,000 were registered. 56,000 Ukrainians receive basic health care. 10,000 are privately housed. After the Yugoslavia crisis, about 50 percent of the refugees in Austria settled. That’s a benchmark we’re preparing for.
Do you mind if people compare your asylum policy to that of Herbert Kickl?
I can only think of one comparison: after a year as Interior Minister Kickl, there were 26,500 asylum seekers and beneficiaries of basic care. After one year of Interior Minister Karner, there are 24,000 asylum seekers in basic care. Kickl is good at talking, weak at doing, that’s what makes us different.
The ÖVP cannot pay another 100,000 asylum seekers in 2023. How should the brakes work?
Visa exemption for Indians in Serbia ends in 24 hours. That will take the pressure off. The visa ban for Tunisians is already having an effect. We control the external border together with the Hungarians and we need a new asylum system.
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.
