The citizenship dispute divides the coalition: Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler, like the Federal President, would facilitate entry. SPÖ and Neos are also in favour. Like the FPÖ, the Chancellor is against it and clinging to the status quo.
Small entry, big emotion. Citizenship. In their accessibility questioned by the head of state. After 6 years you should be able to become a citizen. Not just after 10 or more. That is what Alexander Van der Bellen, who is again a candidate for the office of Federal President, wants. The excitement is great.
“Austrian citizenship is of high legal importance. There is no reason for a change,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on behalf of the Chancellor’s Party ÖVP.
Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler sees it differently, telling the “Krone”: “The green position has always been clear: access to citizenship must be made easier. There is currently no majority in parliament for this and in the coalition negotiations was also no agreement with the ÖVP possible.” There is nothing about this in the coalition agreement.
Red and pink for defusing
The FPÖ is strict against softening, Van der Bellen argues, fishing in green and red camps. Herbert Kickl is in favor of maintaining or sharpening the status. Especially in the field of asylum.
In addition to waiting for years, good integration and a minimum income (1,000 euros) also apply. SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner thinks the law is dusty. The financial barriers are too high. “And children born in Austria must be granted citizenship if a parent has lived in federal territory legally and without a criminal record for five years.”
Neos MP Stephanie Krisper also criticizes the “annoying and bureaucratic” hurdles. “This must finally come to an end so that the process becomes fast and transparent.”
Constitutional lawyer Heinz Mayer agrees: “Austria has one of the strictest laws. It is no longer current.” People who have lived here for years and who have been integrated are not allowed to vote. On the other hand, children of Austrians living abroad are nationals. “If you go abroad to study, this time is deducted. It’s all absurd.”
Source: Krone
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