Interior Committee Approves Halt to Family Reunification

The amendment allows the government to issue a regulation permitting applications for family reunification without adhering to a six-month decision period. This applies if the government, with the approval of the National Council, determines that public order and security are threatened. This is based on Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The draft law to halt family reunification was heavily criticized during the review process.

Halt to Family Reunification: Exceptions Possible

Exceptions are to be made, for example, if children in the country of origin do not have adequate caregivers. The same applies to children and adolescents who have traveled ahead, whose parent in the country of origin is the only possible caregiver. An amendment was also passed in the Interior Committee, which stipulates, among other things, that applicants must be informed of the procedural rules in a language they understand via an information sheet.

According to the proposal, the regulation is to be repealed by the end of September 2026. Subsequently, a quota system is to be developed that takes into account the reception capacities of state systems and the protection of rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, according to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a parliamentary correspondence release.

The minister justified the amendment by stating that family reunification has led to an overload of the education system and increased youth crime, especially in Vienna. The government could not convince the opposition parties: The FPÖ wants a complete "asylum stop," the Greens do not see the necessity of the halt and have legal concerns.

(APA/Red)

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