Karner is pushing in Germany to expand the deportation of Syrians and implement the European asylum pact.
Austria’s interior minister has urged Germany and other EU states to accelerate deportations and fully implement the European asylum pact, calling for stricter migration controls and faster procedures to curb irregular arrivals and crime.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, غيرهارد كارنر said the EU’s new Asylum and Migration Pact will come into force on June 12 and will reshape how asylum is granted across the bloc. He stressed that the pact must be applied not only at the European level but also through national laws, adding that Austria plans to replace family reunification with a quota-based system. He noted that very few family reunifications took place last year and said this approach would continue.
Non-governmental organizations criticized the planned measures, warning that faster procedures could lead to people being deported before their asylum claims are properly reviewed. The Evangelical Diakonie said the new initial screening system could result in the detention of unaccompanied minors and traumatized individuals, raising concerns about legal safeguards and human rights protections.
On deportations to Syria, كارنر said Austria became the first European country to return convicted criminals to Syria after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. He argued that deportations to Syria should no longer be exceptional but should become standard practice. Austria’s Interior Ministry said expanding deportations to Syria and Iraq required talks held during the conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister فؤاد حسين and Syrian Foreign Minister أسعد الشيباني.
كارنر also called for the expansion of return centers outside the European Union, allowing asylum procedures to be carried out beyond EU borders. He said Austria has held discussions with Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece on this issue, and has coordinated with the UNHCR to ensure that any new system complies with international law. He described the Munich conference as a key platform for building trust and preparing the ground for regular deportations to Syria.