Austrian Interior Minister notifies vis à vis the migrant issue

Austrian Interior Minister notifies vis à vis the migrant issue

‘When so many European Union member nations have failed to do their bit, Austria does not need to go all out to accept refugees and shoulder the whole world’s burden!’ said the Austrian Interior Minister not mincing his words at all. The Austrian government has approved a new and very stringent asylum law and the Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka made this very candid statement in defence of the new law. This new bill against asylum seekers permits the government to declare a ‘state of emergency’ to check the influx of asylum seekers.

The bill passed by 98 votes to 67 gives special powers to the government as well as the border security personnel. The strictest of asylum laws Europe has ever known, the United Nations have slammed it as much as several Human rights organizations have.

This new law permits the government to declare a state of emergency in the event that the number of migrants should shoot up suddenly. It also provides for declaration of emergency if the migrant flow is found to threaten national security. The length of asylum granted to migrants has also been restricted.

Migrants will be required to request asylum directly at the borders at the registration centres, where a verification will be done before entry is granted. The border security personnel have been granted the right to reject migrants. The border along Italy will be fenced in order to check the flow of migrants.

Criticizing this law, the United Nations said the new legislation deprived migrants of a centrepiece of protection. A leader of the opposition party warns that these are dangerous tools and that he feared they would fall in the wrong hands. The far rights won the first round of the presidential elections and this new legislation is said to be a consequence of the victory.

The candidate of the Freedom party that has been staunchly opposing migrants has earned 36% votes and the forerunner candidate belonging to the party in power has been cast out of the election arena and so the race too.