The Austrian government announced on Thursday, July 3, the expulsion in their country of origin of a Syrian criminal on Thursday, July 3, the first in the European Union in recent years, according to the Ministry of Interior.
This decision “is part of a strict asylum policy and, therefore,,” said Minister Gerhard Karner in a statement transmitted to AFP.
“He sends a strong signal, namely, Austria systematically expels the convicted criminals, now also towards Syria. We will continue on this path with determination and rigor,” he added.
The Alpine country, which had not expressed such expulsion for about 15 years, is pleased to “show the way in Europe.”
Gerhard Karner had visited Syria at the end of April with his German counterpart to discuss the return of refugees to his country and means to strengthen security cooperation.
The status of 2,900 refugees revoked
After the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the debate on the reception of Syrians resurfaced in Europe, several states announced a freezing about the procedures for asylum requests in a context of a strong electoral increase in the extreme right parties.
Austria, who has almost 100,000 Syrians, many of whom had fled from the Civil War, went further. It has begun procedures to revoke the status of some 2,900 refugees and arrested family reunification procedures, a measure that the new government led by a conservative chancellor wants to extend to all nationalities.
It is under pressure from the Nationalist Party FPö, certainly in opposition, but in the first part of the country in surveys and surveys.
The authorities even offered the sum of 1,000 euros to the Syrians who agreed to return to the country. At the moment, 350 have voluntarily returned since the late 2024, against 200 in total in 2023 and 2024, according to official figures.
Source: BFM TV
