Vienna – ESI at discussion on migration with Austria’s Europe Minister

8 September 2021
Future Lab Migration at the Austrian Federal Chancellery. Photo: BKA/Hans Hofer​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
"Future Lab Migration" at the Austrian Federal Chancellery. Photo: BKA/Hans Hofer

On 8 September 2021 ESI's Kristof Bender participated in an informal discussion organised in the Austrian Federal Chancellery by Europe Minister Karoline Edtstadler about "Migration - current challenges for the EU". Besides the minister and her team, the other participants were Christoph Pinter (UNHCR), Michael Spindelegger (ICMPD), Marian Benbow Pfisterer (IOM), Peter Webinger (Austrian Ministry of Interior) and demographer Rainer Münz. 

Kristof shared ESI's assessment that the challenge regarding Afghanistan now is to bring people that need protection out of the country rather than - as others claim - a mass flight of Afghans towards the EU. He also presented ideas on what EU member states should do now to establish a system that allows to control the EU's external borders in a humane way.