Austria's refugee crisis: What happens to the large families?

Austria's refugee crisis: What happens to the large families?

Vorarlberg, Österreich - In Austria, worrying developments are emerging in terms of the inclusion of displaced persons from Ukraine. Currently, only Vienna and Vorarlberg have set up Ergstunkunftstentrangs, while the rest of the country complains of severe capacity problems. The situation in the Vienna arrival center in particular is tense: City Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) has already threatened with a closure if the situation should not be improved as soon as possible. This is emphasized by Andreas Achrainer, the head of the Federal Research Agency, who demands that as many federal states as possible are willing to set up new quarters for incoming refugees.

The pressure on Vienna increases because between 1,000 and 1,200 displaced persons from Ukraine come to Austria. A total of around 33,400 Ukrainians are in basic care, with a third of them live in Vienna. While Hacker and Achrainer are calling for a fair distribution of refugees to all federal states, the displeasure of the arrival of large families, who often do not speak the German or Russian language. There are even reports about families with up to 26 members.

coordination and responsibility

The discussion about the responsibility of the federal states becomes more intensive. Hacker criticizes that many countries lean back and do not show any initiative, while the arrival centers in Vienna are overloaded. It is urgently needed that the interior minister assumes a more active role and improves the coordination to defuse the situation. Otherwise there could really be a closure of the Vienna Center.

In addition to providing accommodation, financial support for the newcomers is also a hotly discussed topic. The government plans to reorganize family allowance and child benefit for Ukrainians in order to avoid abuse and ensure that more displaced persons can enter the labor market. It is expected that these measures will help to support the integration efforts and to reduce the burden on the welfare states in the long term.

asylum procedure and European standards

In a larger context, the efficiency of asylum procedures in the EU is a future -oriented topic. The EU's migration and asylum package stipulates that rapid processing of asylum applications should be guaranteed. Among other things, this includes improved screening processes that enable a rapid return of rejected asylum seekers. According to the European Parliament, new procedures are being developed to ensure that identity, health and safety-related exams can take place within a very short time. This could also be relevant for those arriving in Austria.