Austria set to toughen refugee laws

The Austrian parliament is set to introduce some of Europe's toughest asylum laws as the political leadership in the country is becoming increasingly irked by the surge of far-right parties.

Among the new measures which were to be adopted by members of the legislature on Wednesday was a bill to allow the government to declare a “state of emergency” over the refugee crisis and reject most asylum-seekers directly at the border.

The legislation has met fierce criticism by rights groups, religious leaders and opposition parties as the preventive measure also covers refugees from war-torn countries like Syria. Campaigners said the measures would be a clear violation of international human rights conventions.

Officials in the government defended the bill, saying Austria has had enough flexibility for the refugees.

“We cannot shoulder the whole world's burden,” said Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka, who added that Austria had no other choice as long as “so many other European Union members fail to do their part” to limit the influx of refugees.

More than 1.1 million refugees arrived in Europe last year, triggering the worst crisis for the continent in decades. Some 90,000 people submitted asylum applications to Austria in 2015, the second-highest in the European Union on a per capita basis.

SS