Austria has announced that it will not accept migrants turned back at the German border. This firm stance by the Austrian government is a response to statements regarding the potential composition of Germany’s new ruling coalition. Austrian police already have detailed instructions in place.
Austria Rejects Migrants
Austria’s Interior Ministry has made its position clear on accepting migrants returned by Berlin. The country has stated that it will not comply with Germany’s expectations.
This statement was sent by the Austrian ministry to the German news agency dpa. It comes in response to declarations made by the conservative CDU/CSU and SPD, who, during ongoing coalition negotiations in Germany, announced their intention to return migrants arriving at the border once a government is formed.
“This Violates EU Law”
Vienna maintains that the German proposal to turn away asylum seekers at the border is in violation of EU law. As a result, Austria’s Interior Ministry has already taken initial action.
“The Ministry of the Interior has instructed state police not to accept entry refusal decisions issued by German authorities that violate EU law and to immediately report any such observations,” the statement reads.
This means that Austria will not take back migrants who have been turned away at the Austrian-German border by Germany.