Asylum: Not a single refugee refused orientation course

This was announced by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a press conference on Monday. The head of the Federal Care Agency, Andreas Achrainer, was happy about the mandatory nature of the program, as it had previously happened that heads of families had prevented women from participating.

“You can only respect what you know”

According to Achrainer, a total of five curricula have been developed in which the newly arrived asylum seekers are taught. These cover topics such as culture and manners, democracy, rights and duties, equal rights and saying no to anti-Semitism. The fact that all refugees participated voluntarily shows, for the BBU director, that there is a thirst for knowledge. The basic principle is: “You can only respect what you know.”

Achrainer is also pleased that the regulation that regulates an expansion of the fields of activity in federal care facilities will come into force tomorrow. This means that deployment is now also possible in units subordinate to local authorities and in organizations that can employ at least five civil servants. Fields of activity include nursing homes, libraries or the volunteer fire brigade, as Karner explained. If someone refuses, their pocket money can be reduced.

Further possible uses by regulation

Achrainer is optimistic that the regulation will actually open up further opportunities for deployment. Sometimes there is some scepticism at the beginning, as was the case at the Korneuburg construction yard, for example. But people quickly became quite satisfied with the work of the young refugees there, reported the BBU boss. In his view, it is even an advantage if the work takes place outside of the care facilities, because this allows people to get to know each other and the local population.

At the moment, there is certainly enough to do in the facilities themselves. The numbers of asylum seekers in basic care have fallen significantly. For example, there are currently only 430 people in the initial reception centre in Traiskirchen, whereas two years ago there were 1,800. In total, there are around 34,000 asylum seekers in basic care, of which 1,200 are in federal care and the rest in state facilities.

Decline in asylum applications

The relief of basic services, which has also led to the temporary closure of various accommodations, is directly linked to the drop in asylum applications of around 40 percent this year. The Interior Minister particularly emphasised that the situation in Burgenland has eased. In the first half of the year there were 303 arrests there, compared to 19,344 in the same period two years ago.