Herbert Kickl, the leader of the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) has praised the centre-right German CDU/CSU alliance for espousing tough migration policies similar to theirs.
The Austrian politician, who is currently in talks with the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) to form a government, said, “It is gratifying that the German CDU has now also adopted FPÖ policies at a time when we are currently holding government negotiations with its sister party, the ÖVP on this topic, among others.”
On Wednesday, January 29th the opposition CDU/CSU alliance pushed through a non-binding motion in the German parliament aimed at turning back illegal and undocumented migrants at the nation’s borders.
The alliance’s five-point plan proposes an indefinite return to border controls at Germany’s borders, revoking the German nationality of dual citizens who have committed serious criminal offences, immediately taking into custody those who are required to leave the country, and creating the conditions for asylum procedures to take place outside Germany and the EU.
The motion was passed with the help of the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, the first time in history a motion was supported in the Bundestag with votes coming from the AfD.
The governing parties of Germany, the Social Democrats and the Greens, harshly criticised the CDU/CSU for tearing down the so-called ‘firewall’—the cordon sanitaire that the establishment parties erected to keep the AfD isolated.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the CDU, however, stressed that his concern for German citizens in light of recent knife attacks by migrants was greater than maintaining the ‘firewall’, and he was willing to accept the votes of the AfD in order to introduce tougher asylum policies.
The FPÖ in Austria has experienced similar hostility: despite winning last year’s national elections, the country’s president refused to acknowledge its victory and instead tasked second-placed ÖVP with forming a government.
Following the collapse of talks between ÖVP, the Social Democrats and the liberal NEOS party, the FPÖ was finally given the chance to set up a coalition with the People’s Party. The two are a more natural fit, as both of them want to halt illegal immigration, speed up the deportation of failed asylum seekers, and bring down migrant crime.
A survey in September revealed that migration is the number one cause for concern for 43% of Austrians, and crime, which is closely linked to migration, was second with 34%.
The FPÖ campaigned on the concept of ‘Fortress Austria,’ meaning the party wants to suspend asylum applications, put in place a real border protection system, turn back illegal and undocumented migrants at the border, and deport failed asylum seekers.
On Wednesday, Kickl said that illegal migration should no longer be managed, but consistently combated and stopped. He said his government intends to hand out benefits in kind to migrants instead of cash, and deportations will have a priority over new asylum applications. Migrants would also be exempt from receiving basic medical care, and would only be granted emergency care.
All these proposals are intended to dissuade migrants from wanting to go to Austria, but the question remains whether the ÖVP is willing to side with the FPÖ on these issues. The talks to form a government are still ongoing.
