Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer’s proposal to build fences and walls on the EU’s external borders to prevent illegal migration was rejected by the European Parliament, which did not include it in the budget scheme for 2024. It will be recalled that Nehammer blocked Romania’s entry into the Schengen zone, and Vienna appealed to the EU to support states with external borders for their security, allocating funds, including for the installation of fences.

The announcement regarding the vote in the European Parliament was made by the MEP from Romania, Niku Stefanuce:

• “Nehhammer’s wall is falling with the first outline of the EU budget for 2024. Today, the European Parliament said a clear NO to Nehhammer’s idea to build walls on the Union’s border.
• The European Parliament voted by a majority of 321 to 210 that the idea of ​​the Austrian chancellor is nonsense from the Trump school.
• The EPP, of which the PNL is also a part, supported the idea coming from the extremes, introducing its own amendment, albeit a more diluted one in that sense. However, this idea has been clearly rejected by several political groups, including the European Greens, to which I belong.
• So Nehammer’s wall, which was passed as an PPE amendment, fell with the final vote on this year’s budget priorities.
• I’m sorry we don’t have an accepted report. But even more I regret the lack of inspiration and tact of the right-wing in the wagon with the extreme right. The wrong way for Europe: when you fraternize with the far right, expect to be dragged through the mud.”

Nehammer wants a “Trump wall” on EU borders

Following the blocking of Romania’s entry into Schengen on 8 December 2022, both Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner claimed that of the more than 100,000 immigrants or asylum seekers who had arrived in Austria, 75,000 had not arrived in Austria. were registered anywhere, and this should have happened when crossing the external border of the EU. They claimed that many of the unregistered arrived via Romania or Bulgaria, contradicting the Romanian authorities.

One of Vienna’s requests was to finance the construction of fences on the EU’s external borders. In January, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Chancellor of Austria Karl Nehammer visited Bulgaria, where they inspected the country’s border with Turkey.

Nehammer promised Bulgarian President Rumen Radev that Austria would support Bulgaria’s request for the European Commission to allocate two billion euros to strengthen border security, including by installing a strong fence on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey.

• “There is no money for this in the budget of the European Union.
• Therefore, if we give money for walls and fences, there is no money left for other things,” European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson reacted at the time.

The Austrian chancellor has not given up on the idea, saying in an interview with Bild last month that he wants the European Union to build a border wall similar to the one Donald Trump wanted to build on the border with Mexico.

• “The federal police chief is conducting an assessment of the US-Mexico border to see what measures are having an effect.
• Our aim is to share this information with other EU countries, such as Bulgaria, to improve border protection. (…) We need effective barriers. They have to be very high, very deep in the ground and constantly monitored. And technically, but also in terms of personnel. Only with the help of these three measures can we stop illegal migration,” said Nehammer.