Latest news with #ÖVP
LeMonde
04-07-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Austria becomes first EU country to resume deportations of refugees to Syria
Austria's interior minister, Gerhard Karner, proudly announced the news in front of cameras on Thursday, July 3, at Vienna Airport. "For the first time in nearly fifteen years, a Syrian offender was today deported directly to Syria, specifically to Damascus," declared the official from the Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP, conservative party), just hours after a plane took off with the first known case of a Syrian refugee being directly deported to their country by an EU state since the start of the civil war in 2011. This 32-year-old man, who arrived in Austria in 2013, lost his refugee status after being sentenced to seven years in prison in 2018. However, like all Syrians present in Europe, he had until recently been protected from deportation due to the risk of ill-treatment he faced in Syria as long as Bashar al-Assad remained in power. Since the dictator's fall in December 2024, several European political leaders have traveled to Damascus in an effort to resume deportations in coordination with the new Syrian authorities. Two countries have been especially active in pushing for this policy: Austria and Germany, which have both welcomed hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees since the 2015 migration crisis but now face a resurgent far right in their national politics. At the end of April, Karner visited Damascus with his then German counterpart, Social Democrat Nancy Faeser, to ask the new Syrian interior minister to begin accepting returnees after several assaults allegedly committed by refugees in both countries.
DW
26-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Austria: Ex-Chancellor Kurz acquitted of perjury conviction – DW – 05/26/2025
An Austrian court has overturned an eight-month suspended jail sentence former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had received after being found guilty of giving false testimony. with AFP and dpa Saim Dušan Inayatullah with AFP and dpa Saim Dušan Inayatullah with AFP and dpa An Austrian court on Monday overturned former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conviction for giving false testimony to a parliamentary inquiry. "Sebastian Kurz... is acquitted," a three-member panel of judges said. Kurz was once a rising star among European conservatives and twice headed a governing coalition in Austria. Kurz resigned as chancellor in 2021. He had headed the conservative People's Party (ÖVP), governing in coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) from 2017-2019 and later with the environmentalist Greens from 2020-2021. More to come...
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German climate activist banned from living in Austria over protests
A prominent German climate activist has been issued with a two-year ban from living in Austria, dpa learnt on Monday. Anja Windl, a 28-year-old psychology student who has lived in Austria since 2017, poses a "significant threat to public order and security," according to a letter from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) seen by dpa. The agency said Windl's participation in recent protests - including one outside the headquarters of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) in January - proved her "massively querulous tendencies." The activist was accused of writing the phrase "You stink of brown shit" on the ÖVP property in protest at the party's talks with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria over the formation of a coalition. In German-speaking countries, brown is the colour associated with fascism, as the Nazis wore brown shirts and ties. The BFA also argued that Windl had demonstrated her "far-left motivations" by claiming to feed documents from Austrian authorities and courts to farm animals. Windl intends to lodge an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court within the four-week deadline. "I will not be intimidated," she told dpa. "In times of burgeoning fascism and a burning world, peaceful protest is necessary." Windl became well known in Austria for taking part in sit-in blockades and other protests as a member of the Austrian branch of the Last Generation climate movement. According to the BFA, the student has been detained more than 10 times for administrative offences, resulting in significant fines. As she was unable to pay the fines, Windl said she has served nine weeks in prison in 2024 and 2025, and was only able to avoid further time behind bars thanks to donations.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump-wary Austrian chancellor elected as ÖVP leader
The conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) gave a landslide endorsement to Chancellor Christian Stocker as party leader at its conference in Vienna on Saturday. Receiving some 98% of the votes, the 65-year-old lawyer underscored his distance from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) - the winner of parliamentary polls in the autumn - which, according to Stocker, has a penchant for Donald Trump. FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl's role model is the US president, said Stocker. "But I am not a partner for an Austria that is 'Trumped up'," said the Chancellor in a speech that largely ignored the country's ongoing recession and massive budget deficit. Following the collapse of talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP, Stocker formed a government with the Social Democratic Party SPÖ and the liberal NEOS at the beginning of March. He had already been the party's acting leader since early January, when Karl Nehammer resigned as ÖVP leader and chancellor, citing his rejection of coalition negotiations with Kickl. Stocker, known as pragmatic and level-headed, took over the task. His rise from local to national politics came late: he entered parliament in 2019 and became Secretary General of the ÖVP three years later.
Gulf Insider
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Over 80% Of Austrians Demand Stricter Asylum Measures
A new survey has revealed that an overwhelming majority of Austrians support stricter asylum measures, including a halt to family reunification for asylum seekers. Conducted by UniqueResearch for ATV, the poll found that more than 80 percent of respondents back tighter asylum regulations, with 59 percent expressing strong support and an additional 22 percent indicating moderate approval. Only 12 percent of Austrians opposed the policy. Support for the measure is consistent across the political spectrum, with a majority of voters from all major political parties calling for an asylum crackdown. The poll follows an announcement by the new Austrian coalition government to impose a temporary 'zero quota' on family reunifications, a step officials say is necessary to address the ongoing asylum crisis and the strain on Austria's social systems. Cynics believe the move is a token gesture to appease supporters of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) — the party that won the most seats in last year's federal election but is not represented in the new coalition after talks with establishment parties failed. On Wednesday, the Council of Ministers initiated the first steps towards implementing the policy. The government stated that all 'necessary steps' would be pursued at the European level to enforce the halt on reunifications. While the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) has been in government for years, critics argue that previous efforts to impose stricter family reunification policies have stalled, despite mounting pressure from the public and rising concerns over the sustainability of Austria's asylum policies. ÖVP voters were the most vociferous in their support of the plan, with 96 percent in favor of a more restrictive policy. This was followed by FPÖ supporters at 94 percent, with voters of the liberal NEOS even backing the proposal overwhelmingly at 83 percent. Voters of the Socialists (SPÖ) and the Greens also backed the plans by a majority, with 68 percent and 61 percent in favor respectively. Political analyst Alexandra Siegl told Heute that while the government's ability to enforce such a measure at the EU level remains uncertain, the shift in public sentiment toward more restrictive immigration policies is clear. 'It is not surprising that FPÖ and ÖVP supporters overwhelmingly back the halt on family reunifications,' Siegl said. 'However, the fact that majorities within the NEOS, SPÖ, and even Green voter bases are in favor highlights how attitudes on immigration have become more restrictive in recent years.' Click here to read more…
