Vienna – ESI at Falter Arena: Humane action instead of harsh rhetoric

Gerald at the Falter Arena. Photo: ESI

ESI’s Gerald Knaus gave a keynote address at the Falter Arena in Vienna. The event was organized by Falter, an independent weekly Austrian newspaper, and focused on reviewing the political upheavals which have taken place since the 2015 refugee crisis and providing an overview of the present political situation on migration.

In his speech, Gerald noted that Austria accepted among the most refugees per capita of any country during refugee crisis. This is despite the fact that the then-government of Austria engaged in harsh rhetoric attacking refugees and promising a crackdown. The lesson to be learned from this, according to Gerald, is that harsh rhetoric is not a solution. Instead, we need action. The far-right too calls for action – but their actions would be not only brutal, but also illegal, including pushbacks and mass deportations. Nonetheless, their proposals have won them support, with the far-right FPO now topping election polls in Austria.

To counter this, Gerald argued that the democratic parties need to propose solutions that would both re-establish control over migration into Europe and do so both humanely and legally. Such solutions exist, as proven by the 2016 EU-Turkey deal, which drastically reduced both drowning and illegal crossings in the East Mediterranean. Gerald proposed that such a deal could now be reached between the UK and the EU. When successful, the lessons and frameworks of an EU-UK deal could then be expanded to partners outside of Europe.

Gerald at the Falter Arena. Photo: ESI

• ESI proposal: Safe Third Country Agreements
• ESI proposal: Stopping small boats in the Channel legally