Refugees

Austria's Schallenberg and Nehammer at EU Foreign and Interior Ministers' Meeting

For the first time ever, EU Foreign and Interior Ministers met jointly to discuss migration issues. Austria's Foreign Minister Schallenberg and Interior Minister Nehammer demand a better system for the repatriation process of migrants who have not been granted asylum.

March 16, 2021

Bosnia and Herzegovina Receives Support From Austria

The Austrian Foreign Ministry has decided to provide the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) with EUR 1 million for the humanitarian care of refugees and migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Foreign Minister Schallenberg is eager to support the affected people with rapid assistance directly in the area.

January 4, 2021

City of Vienna Supports Aid for Moria

The City of Vienna has agreed on supporting the refugees in Moria and Lesvos with financial aid. EUR 300,000 will be distributed among three non-governmental organizations, which will then provide immediate assistance for those, who currently live under extreme conditions in the refugee camps.

December 16, 2020

Austria Supports Syrian Refugees in Lebanon and Jordan

The Austrian government has decided to support Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon with EUR 1 million. The Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister are sure that by supporting Austrian NGOs, the aid will "be helping directly in the crisis regions of the Middle East".

November 11, 2020

Joint Statement by Greece and Austria

Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Austrian Chancellor Kurz have issued a joint statement that deals with European refugee policy and the ongoing dispute with Turkey over the natural gas deposit in the Mediterranean.

September 9, 2020

New IOM Regional Director Renate Held Presents Credentials at UN Vienna

The new Permanent Representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to the United Nations, Renate Held, presented her credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna. The IOM has offices in 19 countries and territories in the "South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region" (SEEECA) including sub-regional offices in Central Asia and the Western Balkans.

July 22, 2020

COVID-19 and the Situation of Refugees in Austria

A research project at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW - Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften) reveals the situation of refugees in Austria in the midst of the Corona crisis.

June 25, 2020

Information Campaign on Coronavirus in 11 Foreign Languages

As part of an information campaign for people with a migration background on how to contain the coronavirus (COVID-19), extensive information is now available in 11 foreign languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Dari/Farsi, English, French, Pashto, Polish, Russian, Somali, Turkish and Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian.

March 16, 2020

Crisis Between Athens and Ankara: Greek Prime Minister in Vienna

Thousands of refugees still hope to enter the EU from Turkey. Athens is therefore strengthening its border management, seeking support from the EU and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis travelled to Vienna.

March 11, 2020

Vienna Migration Agency Develops Recommendations for EU

Entitled "Breaking the gridlock and moving forward: Recommendations for the next five years of EU migration policy", participants of the Vienna Migration Conference 2019 will explore migration policy options and the formulation of future strategies.

October 11, 2019

Austrian Minister of the Interior: Observing Developments along the Western Balkans Route Closely

The North Macedonian Ambassador Nenad Kolev and Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn met for a working discussion in Vienna. In addition to bilateral cooperation, the topic of migration, in particular the Western Balkans route, formed the agenda.

August 13, 2019

Southeastern Europe Remains Focus of Austrian Foreign and Security Policy

The Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kemal Kozaric, and Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn met for a working meeting in Vienna. Bilateral cooperation and migration were on the agenda.

August 1, 2019

46% Fewer Asylum Applications in Austria

13,375 asylum applications were received in Austria last year - 46% less than in 2017 (24,715). A total of 664,480 applications for international protection were filed in the EU (including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein) in 2018. The number of asylum applications in Austria and the EU has thus declined for the third year in a row and has returned to pre-crisis levels.

June 27, 2019

Global Compact for Migration: Top UN Refugee Agency Diplomat Volker Türk at the Kreisky Forum

Austria's top diplomat in the UNHCR, a United Nations Programme, the international law expert Dr. Volker Türk has made an appeal to governments, NGOs and individuals to rethink refugee protection and to implement the UN Global Compact for Refugees adopted in 2018.

June 6, 2019

Migration Agency Demands New EU Migration Policy

Vienna based think tank International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is teaming up with its 17 member states to draw up migration policy recommendations for the next EU Commission.

May 10, 2019

Silvana Meixner Receives Ari Rath Prize for Critical Journalism 2019

ORF journalist and presenter Silvana Meixner will be awarded the second Ari-Rath Prize for Critical Journalism on May 6th, 2019, the Day of Freedom of the Press. This prize was established to honour journalists who have rendered outstanding services to critical reporting on immigration, expulsion and asylum, committed to respect for human rights, in the spirit of the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Ari Rath (pictured) who died in January 2017.

April 4, 2019

Population Development - City of Vienna at 1.9 Million Inhabitants

Last year Vienna grew by 11,000 inhabitants. The birth surplus was 4,000, the migration gain 7,000. Immigration from Great Britain was disproportionately high due to Brexit fears. Serbia is the strongest group of immigrants. The influx of refugees has fallen back to the level before the wave of refugees. In 2027 about 2 million people will live in Vienna.

January 22, 2019

Austria's State Leaders Receive Authoritarian Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi) also visited the Federal President, the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Parliament on the fringes of the EU-Africa Forum (High-Level Forum Africa-Europe), at which he received a EUR 350m commitment from the EIB to finance the expansion of the Cairo Metro. Every meeting emphasised that bilateral relations between Austria and Egypt were very good and that cooperation was to be extended. The former General, who is controversial because of his authoritarian style of government, had already made a clear rejection of the so-called "disembarkation platforms" in Egypt to the EU Council President Sebastian Kurz in Cairo during the summer.

December 19, 2018

Refugees and Skilled Migration - How to Solve the Political Crisis?

Around 500 participants ranging from politicians and policy makers to opinion leaders and experts from governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society organizations gathered recently at the Aula of Sciences in Vienna. The third Vienna Migration Conference 2018 aimed at solving the political crisis related to refugee protection and addressing European needs for skilled migration.

December 19, 2018

Afghanistan - Reopening of Austrian Embassy in Kabul in Discussion

At about the same time as the drama about the 16-year-old girl killed by a 17-year-old Afghan in her childrens' room in Steyr took its course in Austria, H.E. Idrees Zaman Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and Austria's Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl met to discuss the reopening of the Austrian Embassy in Kabul, visa issues and other issues of mutual interest.

December 14, 2018

Immigration in Austria - Migration Compensates for Expected Birth Deficit

Austria will have just under 10 million inhabitants in 2080. This follows from the assumptions of sustained immigration, stagnating birth rates and a further increase in life expectancy. The number of people born abroad will already rise by one third by 2040.

November 22, 2018

Naturalizations in Austria in 2018 on the Rise

Austrian citizenship was granted to a total of 6,971 persons in the first three quarters of 2018. The Bosnians are ahead, followed by Turks, Serbs and Kosovars. In total, there were 115 more naturalisations than in the same period of the previous year (+1.7%).

November 15, 2018

Setback for the UN - Austria Won't Sign Global Migration Pact

Austria will follow the US and Hungary in backing out of a United Nations pact on migration (Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration) over concerns that it will blur the line between illegal and legal migration.

October 31, 2018

Criticism of the Treatment of Refugees - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sends Team to Vienna

Next week, experts from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will visit Vienna to gather an impression of the human rights situation. The new High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, had criticised Austria for not prioritising the return of migrants from Europe without ensuring that key international human rights obligations are met as a protective measure.

October 11, 2018

Made in Vienna: Immigration to Europe - Safe, Orderly and Regular

Against the background of socio-economic developments and persisting economic imbalances the demand for migration will increase. Europe’s demand for skilled labour will grow and skills shortages will be felt more strongly in EU Member States. Non-European countries will need even greater support in creating economic opportunities for their young and growing populations. Both the EU and its partner countries have an interest in functioning policies that create regular channels for labour mobility, steer migration away from its irregular forms, and help put an end to the human tragedies that migration is currently associated with..

October 3, 2018

Migration Policy Agency Celebrates 25th Anniversary and Welcomes New Members Malta and Turkey

With Malta and Turkey both joining Vienna based ICMPD in May, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development welcomes two new Member States. ICMPD has now 17 Member States all across Europe. In 2018 ICMPD is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of its founding and is looking into the future to try to see what it may hold in terms of migration and mobility of people.

May 29, 2018

The Hungarian Foreign Minister's Alleged Evidence of the Existence of the Soros Plan

The ridiculous discussion about the wave of European immigration allegedly steered by the Soros plan is widening as a result of a letter of evidence from the Hungarian Foreign Minister.

May 11, 2018

The Future of the EU: Europe Day Is To Be Given Greater Importance

On Europe Day, one pupil from each member state of the European Union came to the Hofburg for a discussion. More political education in schools and a more comprehensive climate policy are their main demands. "We are 20 percent of the population, but 100 percent of the future."

May 11, 2018

What does the Vienna-based ICMPD and its Director General Michael Spindelegger do?

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) was founded in 1993 in Vienna on the initiative of Austria and Switzerland with the aim of making migration and mobility of people orderly, safe and regular, including through the implementation of planned and well managed migration policies. The aim is to counteract the often short-term thinking of governments so that sustainable solutions can be found and implemented in the medium and long term to combat and overcome the migration crisis. From this point of view, the tasks of the ICMPD have become extremely topical and important due to the refugee crisis.

April 26, 2018

Austria's Role in Brussels' Syria Conference Rather Modest

Austria's recent efforts regarding Syria to make only 4 million additional euros available on the one hand, and Lawrow's clear rejection of Austria's possible mediation role in the Syrian conflict on the other, cannot be classified as a success. Rather than Vienna, the Brussels Conference will seek to resume the UN peace talks in Geneva.

April 24, 2018

Presentation of the First Ari Rath Prize for Critical Journalism

Journalist Alexandra Föderl-Schmid will be awarded the First Ari-Rath Prize for Critical Journalism on 3 May 2018, the Day of Freedom of the Press. This prize was established to honour journalists who have rendered outstanding services to critical reporting on immigration, expulsion and asylum, committed to respect for human rights, in the spirit of the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, who died in January 2017.

April 23, 2018

Vienna Based UN Agencies Join Forces to Combat Migrant Smuggling

At the United Nations in Vienna, IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, and UNODC organized an event centring on a Joint Platform on Countering Migrant Smuggling. The aim of the initiative is to deny criminal traffickers the means and opportunity and end the impunity of smugglers.

March 30, 2018

Meet Her Excellency Austria's New Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl

Karin Kneissl (53) was recently appointed Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs. At present, she is busy touring Europe and introducing herself to her counterparts, or inviting them to the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs in Vienna.

February 20, 2018

What Role Should the OSCE Play in the Refugee Issue?

Possible roles for the OSCE in the context of the migration and refugee flows across the OSCE area were discussed at a special meeting of the Permanent Council in Vienna. The OSCE Permanent Council is one of the main regular decision-making bodies of the Organization bringing together representatives of all 57 OSCE participating States and the 11 Partners for Co-operation.

July 21, 2016

Human Rights of Refugees Must Also Be Protected

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the OSCE and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) emphasized that any solutions to the refugee crisis in Europe must ensure the dignified treatment and protection of the human rights of all refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and migrants.

June 21, 2016

Central European Initiative Discusses Refugee Crisis in Banja Luka

Foreign Ministers of the 18 member states of the Central European Initiative (CEI) met in Bosnia Herzegovina, which holds the initiative’s annual rotating Chairmanship this year. Discussions mainly focused on the refugee crisis and potential solutions.

June 20, 2016

Mogherini Visits Vienna to Discusses Migration and Nuclear Disarmament Issues with Kurz

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini met with Sebastian Kurz in the margins of the CTBT Ministerial in Vienna on 13 June. Mogherini und Kurz stressed their support for the entry into force of the CTBT and the importance of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

June 13, 2016

Ban Ki-moon's Visit to Vienna to Highlights Austria's Seat of a Total of 37 International Organisations

In the context of his visit to Vienna UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon met Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz for a working discussion at the Foreign Ministry. Talks focused on the challenges Austria and Europe are currently facing, especially in connection with the refugee crisis and the fight against radicalization and terrorism. A further topic addressed was the important role played by Austria as the seat and headquarters of a total of 37 international organisations.

April 29, 2016

Safety of Media Members Reporting on Refugee Crisis at Risk

OSCE Representative issues recommendations on rights and safety of members of the media reporting on refugees The challenging refugee situation in Europe also has implications for freedom of the media, not least with regard to the rights and safety of members of the media reporting on this important issue, Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today.

March 4, 2016

Discuss with Jeffrey Sachs Migration and Global Inequalities

Professor of economics Jeffrey D. Sachs will visit Austria on March 10th to give a lecture on migration and global inequalities. The lecture will take place at Vienna's Institute for Human Sciences.

March 2, 2016

The Western Balkans Conference Which Led to Row Over Worsening Refugee Crisis

Convened on the initiative of Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz and Austrian Minister of the Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the Western Balkans conference “Managing Migration Together” was held at the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Vienna. 18 foreign and interior ministers from the Western Balkans attended the conference. The participants included the foreign and interior ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

February 26, 2016

Greece Recalls Ambassador to Vienna in Row over Worsening Migrant Issue

By decision of Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Greece’s Ambassador to Vienna, H. E. Mrs. Chryssoula Aliferi, is being called to Athens for consultations aimed at "safeguarding the relations" between the states and peoples of Greece and Austria.

February 25, 2016

Burgenland to Be Pilot-Province for Courses on Values for Refugees

On the sidelines of a conference of experts on Integration of Austria's regional governments in Eisenstadt, Sebastian Kurz and Norbert Darabos announced a workshop cooperation between the Austrian Integration Fund (AIF) and the Federal Province of Burgenland: the AIF will offer workshops on integration for refugees and immigrants.

December 15, 2015

Journalism Award “Writing for CEE 2015” Goes to Martin Leidenfrost

The EUR 5,000 Writing for CEE journalist prize has been awarded for the twelfth time. Journalists from all round Europe – including Northern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, South Eastern Europe and the CIS countries – have been invited to submit their works. The Austrian Journalist Martin Leidenfrost wins the “Writing for CEE 2015” award for his column "Expedition Europe". At the award ceremony writer and honorary guest Karl-Markus Gauß touched on the discovery of Europe and SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujovic said, that Europe faces new boundaries and divisions.

November 18, 2015 · Updated: November 20, 2015; 19:00

Austria Supports Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU Reform Agenda

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Secretary General, Linhart visited Sarajevo. EU-accession and fight against radicalization were in the centre of the talks. Linhart: “Full support for the Bosnian reform route”.

November 20, 2015

Linhart: “Foreign Policy Should Focus on Stabilization of Neighbouring Regions”

“The European foreign policy must focus more of its attention on the neighborhood, the stabilization thereof – and in the case of the Western Balkans, their way towards the EU – has to be our European priority”, Secretary General for Austrian Foreign Affairs, Dr. Michael Linhart declared on the occasion of the 19th Europe Forum of the Austria Institute for Europe and Security Policy (AIES) in the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna

November 18, 2015

In Pursuit of Peace and Security: How Gender Makes a Difference

Why is it important to include a gender perspective in peace processes and why does it matter if women are involved? These are issues that will be in focus at an OSCE Security Days event in Vienna on Friday, 13 November, which will explore the gender perspective of crisis prevention, conflict management and post-conflict rehabilitation.

November 11, 2015

A Global Labour Force: 230 Million International Migrants On Our Doorstep

OSCE expert meeting in Vienna focuses on effective policies for temporary, seasonal and circular labour migration. Some 70 representatives of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, experts from international organizations, civil society and research centres discussed changing labour migration dynamics at an expert meeting that concluded in Vienna today on effective policies for temporary, seasonal and circular labour migration.

November 9, 2015

OSCE’s Contribution to the Protection of National Minorities to be Discussed in Vienna

Representatives from the 57 OSCE participating States, civil society and international organizations will meet in Vienna on 29 October to discuss the OSCE’s contribution to the protection of national minorities, assessing the achievements, exploring the challenges and identifying ways to address remaining gaps.

October 28, 2015

Austria will Remain an Asylum Country with Tradition

Since 1945 more than two million refugees have come to Austria, whereby almost 700,000 have remained here - that is about 9 per cent of the total population of Austria. Every second refugee had a different mother tongue than German. The refugee crises occurred in a mysterious sequence, as every twelve years, large waves of refugees arrived in Austria: 1956, 1968, 1980 and 1992.

October 28, 2015