ZAGREB, April 19, 2018 - Austria's government on Thursday approved an asylum bill which envisages stricter asylum measures, but the bill has been met with criticism as it could lead to huge costs, Austrian media have reported.
"Additional staff and equipment required to implement the new law means costs of more than two million euro a year," the Vienna-based Der Standard daily reported quoting the Interior Ministry.
Under the new bill on foreigners, namely the part of it that refers to asylum seekers, future refugees and asylum seekers will have to hand over their mobile phones as well as money to cover a part of the costs of asylum application in the amount of 840 euro.
Their phones would be examined so that with the help of geo-data the exact route of their arrival in Austria could be determined. If it is determined that the refugees arrived in Austria from some other European Union country, they would be deported there in accordance with the Dublin Regulation. So far a large number of refugees have arrived in Austria after passing through Croatia.
The bill would speed up deportations for asylum seekers who break the law and refugees will only be able to apply for Austrian citizenship after spending at least ten years in Austria instead of the currently prescribed six years.
"A strict and efficient law should prevent the abuse of Austria's right to asylum," Interior Minister Herbert Kickl of the right-wing populist Free Party of Austria (FPO) said.
