Tasks for Austria's new government: tackle migration, cut budget, but boost defense

Austria's new government has decided to suspend its family reunification policy for asylum seekers in a bid to curb immigration. 

The centrist coalition says the country's schools are burdened with too many migrant children. By halting family reunification visas, the European Union member hopes to take pressure off its education and welfare systems, invoking EU emergency provisions relating to national security.

"The labor and education systems have become overburdened in recent years due to the influx of families," interior minister Gerhard Karner told journalists on Wednesday. 

"We have Syrian, Afghan and Chechen criminal youth gangs that were and still are active particularly in our capital city."

But the social democratic party SPÖ, part of Austria's new tripartite coalition, has voiced opposition to this – revealing the fragility of Austria's first three-way government in decades. 

"Asylum is a human right," Larissa Zivkovic from SPÖ's youth organization SJ told CGTN. "And if people who have had to flee from war and terror and suffering can no longer live with their families, then that clearly contradicts this."

"It's not a good sign when the term in office begins with a clear violation of applicable international law," said Shoura Hashemi, head of Amnesty International Austria.

By curbing migration, the government is also trying to appease right-wing voters. As it had in last June's European elections, the far-right Freedom Party won the most votes and seats in the September 2024 elections – but after months of unsuccessful negotiations between the various parties, was eventually excluded from the coalition which was finally sworn in last week.

Recession and the defense question

For all the noise around migration, the new government's toughest inbox task will be restructuring Austria's budget.

According to the latest predictions by the country's finance ministry, Austria is heading into its third year of recession - and it can't spend its way out of the problem.  To obey EU fiscal rules, the new government must save $7 billion this year.

One area where spending will likely increase is defense. Austria isn't part of NATO, but recent EU-U.S. tensions have prompted Vienna to renew its pledge to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense. 

The new Chancellor, conservative leader Christian Stocker, said Europe must increase its efforts to ensure Ukraine's freedom and sovereignty, indicating continued support for Kyiv going forward.