Overshadowed by Loud Protests: Vienna Migration Conference 2025 Started

The protests were directed against the organizer, the Vienna-based migration organization ICMPD. On banners, the organization, supported by 21 states, was cynically criticized as a "reliable partner in deadly migration management." "We oppose deportations, push-backs at sea and in the desert, the suspension of family reunification, and instruments like the prepaid card. All of these are co-designed or supported by the ICMPD," emphasized Julia Fuchs from the No Border Summit in a statement.

Spindelegger: People should be at the center of migration

ICMPD is a think tank that aims to contribute to better solutions in the regulation of migration with its expertise. The organization, founded in the mid-1990s by Austria and Switzerland against the backdrop of the Balkan wars, is highly regarded in professional circles. It made negative headlines when it built a container facility for the internment of migrants in the northern Bosnian refugee camp Lipa on behalf of the EU Commission, which was never put into operation after protests.

"Challenges that are not solved often come back, sometimes even stronger than before," emphasized ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger in his opening speech on the necessity of solving migration problems. "However, we should never lose sight of the people who should always be at the center of our attention - the migrants, but also our peoples, who expect us to find better solutions than before," said the former Vice Chancellor at the start of the two-day conference.

Karner reaffirms demand for changes to ECHR

Spindelegger welcomed the interior ministers of Austria, Jordan, and Sweden as speakers, while Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) and his colleague responsible for the Mediterranean region, Dubravka Šuica, sent video messages. Brunner reported a significant decline in apprehensions and asylum numbers, which is "not just a fluctuation in the numbers" but the result of good cooperation between EU states and their partner countries.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) expressed similar sentiments, referring to the better protection of external borders and the halt of family reunification. Karner reaffirmed the intention to bring illegal migration "to zero." For this, repatriations are to be intensified, particularly to Syria and Afghanistan. This has "top priority," reported Karner about the first repatriation of an Afghan to his homeland since the Taliban's recent takeover, announced on Tuesday. The ÖVP politician also reiterated the desire for changes in the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). "Sometimes it seems as if the convention protects criminal migrants more than the citizens of their host countries. That is not good for the functioning of the system," said Karner.

Sweden Calls for EU Plan for Repatriations

Karner's Swedish colleague Johan Forssell reported that the center-right government in Stockholm brought asylum-related immigration to its lowest level since 1985 last year. "You may wonder why 1985. We have no figures that go further back," said Forssell. He spoke of a "paradigm shift" in migration policy and, like Karner, emphasized the need for repatriations. In this regard, he wishes for common European solutions. He welcomes the fact that Austria is a pioneer in deportations to Afghanistan, "but I find it hard to imagine that 27 states have different plans for forced repatriations to Afghanistan. I want the Commission to present a plan for this."

The Jordanian Interior Minister Mazin Abdellah Hilal Al Farrayeh also had good news for the conference participants. The return of Syrian refugees to their home countries is "very strong." 166,000 Syrians have returned from Jordan to their homeland, he said. At the same time, he criticized the lack of international aid for the refugees that Jordan has taken in.

Migration Conference: Spindelegger Hands Over to Former Minister Raab After Ten Years

Karner, Brunner, and other speakers used their remarks to thank ICMPD Director General Spindelegger for his ten-year term, which ends at the end of the year. Under the aegis of the former ÖVP Vice Chancellor, the migration organization has gained significant international stature, with the number of member states increasing from 15 to 21. ICMPD operates projects in more than 90 countries and employs 540 staff in 31 regional offices. These projects involve border management, as well as raising awareness of the dangers of illegal migration.

At the conclusion of the conference on Wednesday afternoon, the future ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab was set to speak publicly for the first time. The former Integration Minister will take over Spindelegger's position at the beginning of the year. She was elected to her position by the member states of the organization in June with 13 to 8 votes. Raab prevailed in a months-long selection process against dozens of applicants, initially led by an international headhunter and later by the current ICMPD chair country, Sweden.

Criticism of the two-day conference and the organization was voiced not only by migration activists but also by the FPÖ. "Here we see the 'asylum industry' in its purest form. An ÖVP party crony hands over the highly paid top position to the next failed ÖVP minister. It's not about solving the problem for Austria, but about providing for their own people at the taxpayers' expense in the migration circus," declared the FPÖ security spokesman Gernot Darmann in a statement.

(APA/Red.)

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