Austrian chancellor calls for greater repatriation of economic migrants

Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann has called for a "plan B" in tackling the ongoing refugee crisis in order to limit the numbers entering Austria and Europe, mainly in sending back economic migrants.

In an interview with the Krone newspaper to be published Tuesday, Faymann reiterated his stance that Europe must work together to solve the present issues and that Austria must cooperate further with Germany, and now also stating that increased repatriations must take place.

The magnitude of the crisis has led him to call for tougher politics, in conjunction with Germany, in sending economic migrants back to countries of origin and to thus lower the number of migrants overall.

Faymann said the separation between economic migrants and those fleeing real conflicts would best take place at the EU's outer borders.

He acknowledged however that Austria is also to take measures at its own borders, stressing that in cases of economic migrants, "one must say no - we need spaces for war refugees."

For this purpose he called on the ministry of the interior to provide possibilities for a distinction between the two kinds of migrants, and said a plan coordinated between the interior ministry and the defense ministry and his own chancellery department the Verfassungsdienst must be made.

He noted that soon the influx of refugees will pick up once again, but he remained noncommittal towards a general border closure, indicating that the issue is more complicated. Endit