At the meeting on Thursday under the Polish EU Presidency, Karner plans to discuss further steps with his counterparts to enable repatriations of migrants to Syria and Afghanistan, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

Among other things, Karner wants to meet his Cypriot counterpart Konstantinos Ioannou for a bilateral exchange. Cyprus is particularly keen to enable the return of Syrian refugees and launched a corresponding initiative with a conference last year.

Austria Sees Itself as a Pioneer

The focus of the discussions in the Polish capital will be "new measures and innovative solutions in the fight against illegal migration," the Ministry of the Interior told the APA. Austria sees itself as a pioneer within the EU in calling for asylum procedures in third countries (non-EU countries).

A group co-initiated by Austria had already demanded the implementation of new approaches such as return centres or asylum procedures in third countries in a letter to the EU Commission in May of the previous year. Poland has declared the examination of "new innovative solutions" as one of the priorities of its presidency. In addition, work on more effective deportations is also on the agenda of the Polish EU presidency.

Karner: "Now We Need to Take the Next Step"

Austria has brought movement to the Council of Interior Ministers on the issue of migration. "Now we need to take the next step and push the issue of asylum procedures outside Europe," said Karner in a statement.

(APA/Red)

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