Austria warns Kosovars against trying to seek asylum
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Austria warns Kosovars against trying to seek asylum, 20 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/550940ec15.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 20, 2015
The Austrian government has published an appeal in Kosovo's largest daily newspaper warning Kosovars against trying to seek asylum in Austria.
The full-page advertisement published on February 20 in Koha Ditore said: "Smugglers are lying. There will be no asylum for economic reasons in Austria."
The appeal also said that under Austrian law, illegal immigrants risk fines of up to $8,500.
Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia seven years ago, has seen a sharp rise in the number of its citizens paying smugglers to try to cross illegally into the European Union through Serbia in order to flee poverty and unemployment.
Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner, speaking in Pristina on February 20, said the government in Vienna is planning to send back Kosovar asylum seekers on charter flights every two weeks.
Germany also has taken action recently by sending border officials to help patrol the frontier between Serbia and EU-member Hungary.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
