RT.com
03 Oct 2022, 23:44 GMT+10
The country has seen a near 200% increase in applications this year
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer declared on Monday that the European Union's asylum system has failed, after his country saw a record 56,000 refugee applications this year. Together with Hungary's Viktor Orban and Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, Nehammer proposed tightening border security.
"Austria is currently heavily burdened by illegal migration. The solidarity contribution that we are making in Europe is disproportionately high," Nehammer stated at a summit with Orban and Vucic in Budapest, according to Austria's Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
"The asylum policy has failed. There is still no strong EU external border protection, and the reality of the problem is being disregarded," the chancellor added.
Under the EU's 'Effective Solidarity' program, wealthier member states are encouraged to accept migrants rejected by other nations struggling to handle the influx. If these wealthy countries refuse, other members are asked to take what the European Commission terms "their fair share" of the migrants.
Some 56,149 asylum applications were filed in Austria between January and August this year, according to the country's interior ministry. This represents an increase of 195% on the same period last year. The ministry noted that most of the applications were made by Indian nationals, who have no chance of actually being granted asylum due to their arrival from a safe country.
Pakistanis, Moroccans and Tunisians are also among those claiming asylum, with their cases highly likely to be rejected.
"As long as the EU does not intervene with efficient measures, we will have to help ourselves," Nehammer said on Monday. "Austria is therefore doing everything possible to protect itself, and we want to take further measures together with Serbia and Hungary. Because if the Serbian and Hungarian borders are protected, our own frontier is also protected."
Austria has used its military to impose border controls on several occasions since millions of migrants began pouring into Europe in 2015, and last year deployed an additional 400 soldiers at its frontier with Hungary. Orban has taken an even tougher stance, and constructed a double-layer fence along its borders with Croatia and Serbia, while immediately expelling migrants deemed inadmissible. Belgrade rejects most asylum applications.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Brazil Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Brazil Sun.
More InformationBEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Brazil late last year, the Portuguese edition of...
BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the shimmering Huangpu River that cuts through the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai sits...
Port of Spain [Trinidad and Tobago], July 4 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his first official visit to Trinidad and Tobago...
by Xinhua writer Jiang Hanlu BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On the banks of the shimmering Huangpu River that cuts through the Chinese...
Astana [Kazakhstan], July 2 (ANI): Minakshi (48kg) and Pooja Rani (80kg) guaranteed India two medals on Day 3 of the World Boxing Cup-Astana,...
Accra [Ghana], July 2 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ghana on Wednesday, marking the start of his five-nation tour....
NEW YORK, New York -U.S. stock markets closed with broad gains on Thursday, led by strong performances in U.S. tech stocks, while European...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
PARIS, France: L'Oréal is making a fresh play in the booming premium haircare segment with a new acquisition. The French beauty conglomerate...
MENLO PARK, California: Robinhood is giving European investors a new way to tap into America's most prominent tech names — without...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...