63,000 asylum applications made in Austria this year: minister

The Austrian government has received 63,000 asylum applications so far this year, up from about 28,000 applications received for the entire year in 2014, Minister of the Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Thursday.

The minister made the comments during a meeting with state representatives for asylum, in the city of Salzburg. She also noted that the past two days have seen the highest number of applications since records were first taken, of 560 and 580 respectively, making Austria not only a transit country through to Germany, but also a "destination country."

She said the number of applications in both Austria and Germany have seen a steady, permanent increase of late, and noted that per capita Austria is under "even greater burden" than its neighbour.

The total number of applications for the year is as previously already estimated going to be over 80,000.

The minister also responded negatively to the low number of applications made in countries such as Croatia and Slovenia, noting that these are "safe countries," and that while refugees have the right to asylum, they cannot simply choose the most economically attractive countries.

At the meeting in Salzburg it was also decided that 1,500 unaccompanied minors who had come with the migrant waves, currently cared for in federal government quarters, would be divided amongst the states who will assume their care. Endit