The government of Austria has announced that it is providing Syrian refugees living there with a “return bonus” to return to Syria in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow. The action was taken as a number of European nations have already started discussing how to handle their Syrian refugee populations – Euronews reports.
“Austria will support of Syrians who wish to return to their home country, with a return bonus of 1000 Euros. The country now needs its citizens in order to be rebuilt. Ongoing asylum procedures for Syrian citizens in Austria will continue to be suspended,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated, in a statement published on X. On the day al-Assad was overthrown, Nehammer declared that the security situation in Syria would be reevaluated to see if deportations could proceed.
It’s Too Soon to Think About Going Back to Syria
The government, led by the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), has stated that it will prioritize voluntary deportations because it is not feasible to deport people against their will until the situation in Syria is judged safe. Like several other European nations, such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Czech Republic, Austria has also ceased to process Syrian asylum applications. However, all of those nations concur that it is too soon to think about sending refugees back to Syria.
The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said that currently “the conditions are not met for safe, voluntary, dignified returns to Syria.”
“We need to wait a few more days to see where Syria is heading now,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. Syrians make up the largest group of asylum-seekers in Austria and Nehammer, like many conservative leaders across Europe, is under pressure from the far-right to take a tougher stance on immigration.
A week ago, the Austrian interior minister, Gerhard Karner announced that a reassessment of about 40,000 Syrians granted status in the country over the last five years has begun.
But what is unclear is how many Syrians in Austria will take up the offer of the return bonus as national flag-carrier Austrian Airlines currently operates no flights to the Middle East because of the volatile security situation, so €1,000 may not be sufficient to cover travel via an indirect route. According to the Middle East Monitor, an economy class one-way ticket to Beirut, a common starting point for those heading overland to Damascus, currently costs at least 1066 Euros on Turkish Airlines, according to the company’s website.
At the same time, Nehammer announced that in the run-up to the EU summit on Thursday, a meeting of states with similar positions would take place “to further discuss the migration issue”.
“Together with Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark, Austria is one of the European pioneers in advancing a paradigm shift in European asylum policy,” Nehammer continued. Austria is pushing for a joint EU strategy for the return of Syrian refugees. “Europe urgently needs a comprehensive Syria strategy. It is of no use to Europe if Syrian citizens are only redistributed within Europe,” pointed out Nehammer.
The Political Situation in Syria is Remain Unclear
The arrival in Europe in 2015 of well over one million refugees, most of them fleeing the civil war in Syria, sparked one of the EU’s biggest political crises as nations bickered over who should host them and whether other countries should be forced to help. Those tensions remain even today.
Almost 14,000 Syrians applied for international protection in Europe this year up to September, according to the EU’s asylum agency. Around 183,000 Syrians applied for asylum in all of last year. On average, around one in three applications are accepted.
The UN’s refugee agency has called for “patience and vigilance” in the treatment of Syrians who have sought international protection and believes that much will depend on whether Syria’s new leaders are prepared to respect law and order.