This told him in a letter that the Balkan route was under observation and the situation was stable, reported the “Kronen Zeitung” on Tuesday. From his point of view, this is a wrong assessment of the situation. You have learned nothing from the past, emphasized Doskozil in the Ö1 “Journal um Acht”. The governor criticized the fact that Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was not prepared for such a situation and was reminded of the refugee crisis in 2015. “You are completely surprised, you are upset,” said Doskozil. He is assuming that it will be similar to 2015. The other federal states would help out. In Oberpullendorf and Stoob, infrastructure is already being set up in the form of emergency reception points.
As the state police department of Burgenland announced during a visit by Nehammer the previous week, 5,400 refugees have already been picked up this year. In comparison, there were around 6,500 in 2016 as a whole. It shows that the closure of the Balkan route was “just a PR gag of the Federal Chancellor (Sebastian Kurz, ÖVP, note)”, Doskozil told the “Kronen Zeitung”. The governor again called for asylum centers outside Europe.
The ÖVP countered on Tuesday with criticism of Doskozil. “While the federal government is acting, troublemaker Doskozil is only fueling fears,” emphasized Vice-Secretary General Gaby Schwarz in a broadcast. She described the governor’s criticism as “insubstantial”. The Ministry of the Interior has already started a “border protection offensive” in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defense. In this context, the Burgenland FPÖ again spoke out in favor of building a border fence.
