DW — Austrian Finance Minister Hans Jörg Schelling sent a request to the European Commission for 600 million euros to cover unbudgeted costs associated with housing and caring for asylum seekers, an Austrian Finance Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.
Schelling also used the letter to voice criticism of the EU executive body’s approach to the influx of migrants to Europe, many of whom are fleeing war in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
“In times of the financial crisis, the European Commission has mostly acted as the agent of the member states,” Schelling said in a letter addressed to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, published by the Austrian daily “Kurier.”
“Concerning the migration crisis, it is high time the Commission returned to its normal function as an independent institution representing the general community interest and start acting as such,” Schelling added.
Accusing Greece, once again
The Austrian finance minister’s request comes as both Austria and Hungary have stepped up rhetoric against Greece regarding the influx of migrants.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the EU should look to other countries to prevent people from entering the 28-nation bloc.
“If Greece is not willing or able to protect the Schengen zone and doesn’t accept any assistance from the EU, then we need another line of defense, which is obviously Macedonia and Bulgaria,” Szijjarto said on Saturday at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Amsterdam.
Meanwhile, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Athens underestimated the severity of the refugee crisis.
“I still don’t have the feeling that it has dawned on Greece how serious the situation is,” he said.
He added that alternatives would have to be evaluated if Greece were to prove unable to control the number of refugees leaving the country for other EU nations.
“I say this very clearly, if we do not manage to control the situation … our only option will be to cooperate with Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia,” Kurz said.
Austria dumping fingerprint records
Everyday about 1,000 migrants pass through Austria’s border with Slovenia. Each newcomer is carefully searched, fingerprinted and have their papers checked.
Probably about 100 or so will request asylum, a dozen or so will be sent back to Slovenia and the rest will travel on to Germany.
But the fingerprints records of the refugees who travel on to Germany are expunged from the files of Austrian authorities. Austria says it doesn’t have legal authority to keep fingerprints from migrants passing through the country.
Critics say keeping fingerprints is essential for helping track migrants, to ensure they aren’t requesting asylum in multiple countries and to prevent someone who has already been turned back from trying to enter a second time on a fake passport.
Why Austria only keeps fingerprints for asylum-seekers who stay in the country is a puzzle.
