The Austrian parliament is close to stopping family reunification!
After the Easter holiday, the Austrian Parliament (Nationalrat) will reconvene on April 24 and 25, with hot topics on the agenda, most notably a temporary suspension of the right to family reunification for recognized refugees.
According to what was reported by Parlamentskorrespondenz (Parliament Correspondence), it is possible to vote on the new law next Friday, provided that the Ausschuss für Inneres (Committee on Internal Affairs) concludes its deliberations on Tuesday on time. The proposal, put forward by the parties ÖVP (Austrian People's Party), SPÖ (Social Democratic Party), and NEOS (New Austria and Liberal Forum), stipulates a temporary suspension of family reunification, with specific exceptions. The public consultation period for the project already ended last Thursday.
In addition to this controversial decision, the parliament is discussing other files, including measures to alleviate the burden of energy costs on families and businesses, a strategy to enhance the industrial sector and skilled labor, as well as issues related to nuclear disarmament, amendments within the Hausordnung (internal regulations of the parliament), and a report on right-wing extremism for 2023.
The parliamentary session on Thursday will start with Stunde der aktuellen Debatte (Hour of Current Debate) initiated by the FPÖ (Austrian Freedom Party), followed by Europastunde (European Hour) under the supervision of the SPÖ (Social Democratic Party). On Friday, there will be a question and answer session with the minister responsible for the European Union, integration, family, and youth, Claudia Plakolm.
For its part, the FPÖ demands a reduction of the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years, the imposition of legal penalties for illegal border crossings, as well as a ban on closing bank accounts based on personal beliefs, which is known in the media as the "Lex Sellner" law, named after a controversial right-wing figure.