The Austrian Ministry of the Interior is pleased with the test run of the natura card for asylum seekers (see video above). The card should be usable everywhere from next year. The aim is to offer basic services without cash if possible, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP).
However, the countries can decide autonomously whether or not to adopt the model. The process has been underway since July, including in facilities of the Red Cross, Volkshilfe and Diakonie in Upper Austria. The results were “positive,” Karner and the head of the Federal Care Agency, Andreas Achrainer, said on Tuesday. Some areas will still need “tightening up.”
Card blocked in gambling shops
There are currently around 130 cards in circulation. All services that can be taken from basic care are booked on it. For example, shopping in as many shops as possible and buying tickets for public transport are possible. It is completely blocked for certain sectors, such as gambling shops. Transfers abroad are excluded.
Asylum seekers can only withdraw 40 euros pocket money per month from the ATM. For Karner, the natura card offers several advantages. For example, cash payments to smugglers and transfers of large amounts to their home country would be prevented. “It stimulates the smugglers’ trade if too much money is paid out.”
For migrants aged 14 and over
Other benefits, according to Karner: easier administration and more security for the lodging providers, because money no longer has to be stored in the lodging. Achrainer referred to the high cost of transporting money. The card is issued personally to migrants 14 and older. This could prevent all the money from ending up with a family patriarch, Karner said.
The Federal Procurement Office wants to put the new model out to tender in October and in 2025 the winning provider must make the natura card available for the whole of Austria. Different models are currently used in the federal states. Tyrol has had its own card for a long time and Lower Austria has developed its own concept. In many countries, however, the benefits are simply paid in cash at the accommodation.
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.
