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Austria establishes places for 1,700 asylum seekers under new law

Xinhua, October 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Austrian federal government has used recently-enacted powers to establish quarters for asylum seekers without the permission of state or municipal governments, which would see 1,700 people accommodated, Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said on Tuesday.

The government had passed without opposition the necessary changes to the constitution in late September which were specifically designed to establish quarters in states and local areas that were not meeting given intake quotas, local media ORF said.

At present, five such quarters have been established, two in the state of Carinthia, and one each in Upper Austria, Salzburg, and Styria.

Speaking to the media after the cabinet meeting, Faymann said 60,000 to 65,000 refugees were currently in Austria, with the total expected to reach 80,000 for all of 2015. Despite the establishment of the new places he said the government was still "behind."

He noted that 500 people were currently still living in tents, a number that should be reduced to zero given the approaching winter, and appealed to all states to fulfil their quotas.

Faymann said it was important to continue to protect the outer EU borders, but at the same time allow refugees in who can be distributed amongst member states. Endit