The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has left many European countries deliberating over what to do with their Syrian refugee populations.
However, Austria has made the decision to offer a “return bonus” of €1,000 (£832.10) to encourage refugees to go back to Syria.
Writing on the social media platform X, Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer said: “Austria will support Syrians, who wish to return to their home country, with a return bonus of 1,000 euros.
“The country now needs its citizens in order to be rebuilt. Ongoing asylum procedures for Syrian citizens in Austria will continue to be suspended.”
On the day that al-Assad fled, Mr Nehammer spoke of the security situation in Syria, saying that it would now be reassessed to determine if deportations of refugees could go ahead.
The Austrian government is focusing on voluntary deportations until the situation in Syria has been classified as safe – deporting people who do not wish to leave is currently not possible.
However, Austria has suspended the processing of asylum applications filed by Syrian refugees. Other countries in Europe have opted for this, including Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Czech Republic, who also all agree that it is too early to forcibly return people to Syria.
The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said that at the moment “the conditions are not met for safe, voluntary, dignified returns to Syria.”
Nancy Faeser, the German Interior Minister, said: “We need to wait a few more days to see where Syria is heading now.”
She said: “What is the situation? What about the protection of minorities? What about the protection of the people? And then, of course, there could be repatriation.”
In Austria, the largest group of asylum seekers are Syrians, but it is still unclear how many will accept the “return bonus” offer. Mr Nehammer’s move comes in the same week as German politician Jens Spahn pitched a similar proposal.
“What if the German government said: ‘We will charter planes for anyone who wants to go back to Syria, and we will give them €1,000 to get them started’?” he asked during a TV interview.
