The Migration Collapse in Austria Threatens to Hit the Schengen Area

Austria is generally considered to be one of the most peaceful countries in Europe. But the problem of Muslim migrants has hit the Austrian people. On New Year’s Eve, migrants from the Middle East and North Africa were responsible for an unprecedented wave of violence in the country. As a result, the Austrian government is prepared to rip up one of the foundations of the European Union – the Schengen Agreement.

Austria is generally considered to be one of the most peaceful countries in Europe. But the problem of Muslim migrants has hit the Austrian people. On New Year’s Eve, migrants from the Middle East and North Africa were responsible for an unprecedented wave of violence in the country. As a result, the Austrian government is prepared to rip up one of the foundations of the European Union – the Schengen Agreement.

On January 16, 2016, Europe was rocked by Chancellor of Austria Werner Faymann’s announcement that the country was suspending the Schengen Agreement. In doing so, he called into question one of the main principles of the European Union – the transparency of internal borders. Faymann’s words came against the background of a series of mass assaults carried out on women by refugees arriving from the Middle East and North Africa (1, 2).

A total of 2418 such incidents were reported in 2014, which works out at around seven per day. This means that the average number of sexually motivated crimes increased several-fold. Such incidents are forcing Austria to take a closer look at how it is coping with the integration of migrants who practice Islam.

In 2015, Austria became a multicultural country with a large Muslim population, and the authorities had to deal with the problems associated with integrating migrants into the local society.

Migrant Integration Successes

In 2006, the weekly magazine Der Profil drew attention to the fact that Austria had had greater success integrating migrants into society than other European countries. The writers were referring to integration programmes for Turkish nationals, who opened shops and even banks. They also noted that, unlike Germany, France and the Netherlands, immigrant ghettos did not exist in Austria.

To be sure, not a single district in Vienna has a migrant population that exceeds half of the total number of residents in that area (1, 2). A special document on the targeted resettlement of migrants was never adopted, but this policy has been going on behind the scenes. As a result, the police had been better able to control the situation, preventing the formation of large communities that live by different rules to those followed by native Austrians.

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
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Prior to 2016, there had not been any major riots involving migrants in Austria, such as those seen in Paris in November 2005 and in Stockholm in May 2013. The country has not been the target of a terrorist attack, unlike London in 2005 and Paris in 2015. A state of emergency has never been declared in the country, as it was in Brussels in November 2015. Examples of the successful integration of Turks and other Muslims into Austrian society are well known.

Austria has been more successful at integrating Muslims into society than other European countries for a number of reasons. One such reason is history. In the early 20th century, the Austrian people already had experience of co-existing with Muslims living in their country. Moreover, Austria was never a colonial power. This is why Muslim immigrants in the country did not feel the same kind of hostility towards their host country as Algerians felt towards France, Pakistanis towards the United Kingdom and Indonesians towards the Netherlands.

The relatively painless integration of Muslims into Austrian society was also aided by the fact that these migrants came from the least conservative Muslim countries. In Turkey, the Ataturk separated religion from the state as far back as the 1920s. And the Communists in Yugoslavia had long since demoted religion to fringe status. As a result, it was far easier for those Turks, Bosnian Muslims and Kosovan and Macedonian Albanians who were not especially religious to adapt to the European way of life than it was for Algerians to adapt to life in France or Pakistanis to adapt to life in the United Kingdom.

The Austrian Migrant Problem

In May 2006, Interior Minister of Austria Liese Prokop rocked the country when she announced, citing a survey commissioned by her ministry, that 45 per cent of Muslims living in Austria were not interested in integrating into society.

Despite the country’s relative prosperity, the Austrian authorities were unable to involve many migrants in the local community. The proportion of unemployed migrants living on benefits is greater than that of the local population. Regions that are home to large numbers of migrants are considered disadvantaged. And the problems associated with monitoring those who seeking asylum in the country arose well before the mass influx of migrants in 2015.

While there have not yet been any terrorist attacks in Austria, radical Islam has taken root in the country. In 2013, before Islamic State (ISIS) made its presence felt on the world stage, the newspaper Die Presse reported that Salafi mosques in Vienna were collecting money to help provide medical treatment for jihadists who had fought in Syria and Iraq. Some of the militants were linked to Islamist organizations in Bosnia. In 2014, the Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed that around 130 Austrian citizens were fighting on the side of ISIS (1, 2).

The Austrian authorities were forced to introduce tougher laws. In February 2015, the Austrian Parliament adopted an updated “Law on Islam” guaranteeing that the state would respect Muslim holidays and dietary laws for soldiers, convicts and those undergoing hospital treatment. The law also prohibits the funding of Islamic organizations. State training and certification of imams has been introduced as of 2016. Migrants must now demonstrate mastery of the German language, and teaching in Muslim schools and educational institutions must be conducted in German (1, 2).

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

The large number of migrants who have not found a place for themselves in society provides a fertile breeding ground for extremist organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. The Austrian authorities have been unable to prevent the appearance of radical Islamist cells in the country. And members of the National Council have admitted this problem.

It is clear that hundreds, even thousands of extremists can slip into Austria alongside the Syrian asylum seekers. And they already have a pool of likeminded people inside the country. Most of the arrivals are unable to seamlessly adapt to life in their new home country, if only because of the challenges presented by not knowing German. They thus become an easy target for radical Islamist propaganda.

Austrian political parties have differing views on mass immigration, particularly from Muslim countries. Representatives from five parties expressed their views on the matter during a pre-election debate held at the City Council of Vienna in 2010.

The most liberal attitude towards migrants was demonstrated by the Austrian Green Party (“Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative”). They urged the country to stop looking for criminals among the migrants, calling for them to be given more rights, as well as for any child born in Austria to be granted Austrian citizenship, regardless of the nationality of their parents.

The Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) proposed separating the issues of integrating migrants and security, simplifying the rules for allowing foreigners to work and increasing the number of German language courses for migrants.

The conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) also opposed equating migrants with criminals, but made it clear that that anybody wishing to settle in Austria should first learn the German language. What is more, the conservatives have called for a ban on wearing burqas in public.

The ultraconservatives took a tougher stance. The Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) insisted on deporting any foreigner who breaks the law and a total ban on migration from Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) called for the restoration of border control and introduce a points-based system for migrants that would allow the authorities to track their integration into society.

The election results show that the issue of integrating Muslims (and migrants in general) into Austrian society worries many voters. The popularity of ultra-right parties in the 21st century continues grows. In 2013, the BZÖ received 16 per cent of the votes; in 2008, they received 28 per cent of the votes; and in 2013 (if we add the Stronach List of Eurosceptics), they received 31 per cent of the votes. In the 2005 Viennese state election, 16 per cent the voters supported ultra-right parties; in 2010, that figure had risen to 27 per cent; and last autumn it had risen once more to 31 per cent (1, 2).

Attempts to Limit Migration

Reuters
Migrants at the Austrian Slowenian border

Austrian people were concerned by problems with the Muslim community well before the mass influx of refugees took place in the second half of 2015, which resulted in tens of thousands of people pouring into the country. On August 28, 2015, news broke about a tragedy that had taken place on a highway leading from the Hungarian border to Vienna, where the bodies of 71 illegal migrants were discovered inside an abandoned lorry. It was immediately assumed that these people had been travelling through Austria to Germany.

According to Austrian Minister of the Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the number of asylum seekers in the country as of December 29, 2015 had exceeded 80,000. Chancellor Werner Faymann stated that the flows of refugees need to be redistributed across all 28 EU member states. The Austrian authorities have tightened control at its borders with Hungary and Slovenia; in December 2015, the country started construction of barriers on the border with Slovenia (1, 2). This effectively means that Austria has abandoned the principle of the transparency of internal borders as stated in the Schengen agreements.

After the assaults on women that took place over the New Year, the Social Democrat Faymann criticized those who believe the refugees to be criminals, noting that “racism has no place in Europe”. Almost immediately, however, the Chancellor announced the suspension of the Schengen Agreement in Austria and the subsequent introduction of quotas on the number of asylum seekers allowed into the country after the figure passed 90,000 on January 20, 2016. The annual quota has been set at 37,500 people, or no higher than 1.5 per cent of the population over the next four years.

These tough measures are the result of the long and steady growth in popularity of far-right parties. This is why the statements and actions of the Chancellor can be explained in part by the fear of losing popular support and seeing the further growth of the Freedom Party. But the problem has become so serious in Austria and other European countries that it is not only the far-rights that are concerned by it. Now it is being discussed by “system” politicians, who are eager to find a solution.

A Blow to the Schengen Agreement

Austria is considered one of the most peaceful countries in Europe in terms of immigration. It is in many ways an exemplary state in this respect. But even here, and even before the migrant crisis of 2015, there were problems integrating Muslims into society. By comparison, the situation in France, the Netherlands and Sweden, where immigrant districts have popped up in cities and serious crimes have been committed against the locals, looks extremely disturbing indeed.

However, this does not suggest that Austria was properly prepared for the influx of refugees from the Middle East. Considering the fact that the number of asylum seekers reached 90,000 in such a short space of time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure security within the country. The assaults that took place on women in Salzburg is proof of this. It is these conditions that have forced Austria to try and act without regard for EU norms. What is more, Minister of the Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner has threatened to have Greece kicked out of the Schengen Area if it fails to stop the flow of migrants. At the same time, she has noted that the Schengen Area is “bursting at the seams”.

Austria is not alone in its migrant policy. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary all made it clear in 2015 that they had no desire to accept refugees. In 2016, border controls have been introduced by Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France and Malta, all of which are failing to cope with the influx of migrants. On January 25, 2016, the interior ministers of the European Union proposed a return to passport controls for at least two years (1, 2). It is safe to say that transparent borders in Europe is a thing of the past. The migrant crisis is threatening to send one of the fundamental principles of the European Union into oblivion.

The current migrant crisis is a very serious challenge for Austria and the European Union as a whole. And the continent’s leading politicians have yet to find a solution.

1. These statistics only take foreign nationals into account; people born outside Austria but who have been granted Austrian citizenship have not been included.