Austria: The Integration
Agreement between martial
rhethoric and liberal practice?
Dr. Bernhard Perchinig
University of Vienna
Research Platform Human Rights in the European
Context
bernhard.perchinig@univie.ac.at
The political debate
“We are making it clear that abuse of the social system
will no longer be possible in the future. I fully support the
negotiated solution of the so-called “sanction ladder”
through which we are saying, Yes, sir! We want to know
within 3 years if somebody who came to Austria after
1998 is at all willing and able to integrate! (…). If they
cannot answer, then it is clear what shall happen: they
will no longer be allowed to stay here! (….) With this law,
we are making one thing clear: Austria is not and will
never be an immigration country. We will make sure of
that!”
Peter Westenthaler, Head of the Parliamentary Group of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ),
9.7.2002 in the Plenary Meeting of the Austrian Parliament.
The legal definition
“The Integration Agreement serves the
integration of permanently settled aliens. It
is aimed at the acquisition of a basic
knowledge of German in order to facilitate
participation in the economic, cultural and
societal life in Austria. This capability may
be acquired by attending a German
integration course.”
§ 50a FRG 2002
2003 - 2006
• Attendance of German – integration
course (100 hours)
• Long list of exemptions
• Only 10% of target group had to attend a
course in 2004
• Amendment in 2005
Integration Agreement since 2006
• Module 1: Proof of literacy
– School certificate or
– Attendance of literacy course for 75 hours
• Module 2: Proof of knowledge of German at
level A2
– Attendance and exam of German – integration course
of 300 hours
– Certificate of recognised language training centre
– Austrian school and training certificates
Integration Agreement since 2006
• 5 years
• Costs partly refunded
• Sanctions:
– Financial penalties
– Loss of residence permit
– Deportation, if right to private and family life is
not violated
Integration Agreement since 2006
•
•
•
•
•
Pure language regime
No duty to attend a course
No civic element
No cultural element
Deportations unlikely due to rulings of
Constitutional Court
– Long term residents without attached rights
– Fines rarely applied
Integration agreement since 2005
• „Key personnel“ and family members fulfil
agreement automatically
– 60% of maximum pensionable income (2.600.-, 14
times a year)
– Managerial function (pro forma criterion)
• Target group:
– As no labour migration except key personnel only
family migration
– Family members of Austrian citizens
– Family members of TCN earning less than 2.600.and not attending school
– Approx. 60% women
Integration, the Austrian way
• Earn more than Euro 2.600.- (14 times a
year), or
• Be married to a person earning more than
Euro 2.600.-, or
• Know German at level A 2, or
• Pass a vocational training or secondary
education examination in Austria.
Implementation
• Well established „Austrian Language
Diploma“ scheme bypassed
• New language training system by Austrian
Funds of Integration ( = Ministry of the
Interior)
• No cooperation with experts on teaching of
German as a Second Language and
Ministry of Education
Implementation
• „Integration Funds“ administers Integration
Agreement
– Growth of personnel and budget
• Austrian Language Diploma organised by
Ministry of Education bypassed:
– Critical „epistemic community“
• Political background: Debate to move integration
from Ministry of the Interior to State Secretariate
for Integration
• Instituion building of Ministry of Interior in order
to dominate integration field
State level differences
• Vienna:
– One – stop system
– Counselling structure
– Information on social life and institutional structure in
mother tongue
– Extra financial support
• Lower Austria
– District administration
– No counselling structure
– Language schools as legal advisers
Figures
Total
Year
Completed education
in Austria, key
personnel, etc.
Proof of German skills by a
certificate from a certified
institute
Other (integration
course)
2006
3014
110
2671
5795
2007
2564
122
2799
5485
2008
2759
157
1739
4655
Figures
Year
Enrolment
Refund of course costs after
passing examination
2006
4314
1733
2007
21260
159
2008
36765
4008
18559
1580
80898
7480
Until 30 June
2009
Total
New resident permits for spouses
2007
%
female
2008
%
femal
e
66.17
4839
61.67
4527
65.16
3865
63.86
1359
51.36
927
53.40
585
55.73
1451
49.69
8595
58.58
5517
47.92
5933
54.49
5001
54.91
13475
59.84
11283
54.27
11045
58.93
10317
57,52
Type of permit
2006
Settlement permit within the quota
system
3521
Settlement permit outside the quota
system
Residence permit outside the quota
system
Total
%
female
2009
%
female
Empirical results
• High acceptance of mandatory character by immigrants
• Psychological aspects more important than language
learning
• High pass rates (around 90%)
• Illiteracy mainly among women from Turkey and the Arab
world
• Lack of individualisation of courses
• A2 – level too low for labour market
• Exclusion of EU nationals and asylum seekers from
refunding
• No funding for further courses (B1)
• Sociolects vs. Standard Language
Muslim women as target group?
Kurier: Is it realisitic, that all will have acces to language courses at
home?
Fekter: Who is able to manage the logistics necessary to come to
Austria also is able to learn German. People should learn our language
and our values. How we live in Europe, how our legal system works,
and that women are equal to men.
Kurier: How do you learn this in a village in Eastern Anatolia?
Fekter: How these people acquire their knowledge is their problem. But
also in a village in Eastern Anatolia people know how to immigrate to
Austria. What forms are needed, where to apply fro immigration. We are
doing this in particular for women from these areas.
Kurier: So it is a problem of Muslim women?
Fekter: I would not reduce it solely to religion.
(Kurier, 4.10.2010)
Conclusions
• Integration rethoric and symbolic policy
• No evaluation of results, bad organisation of language
acquisition process
• May produce long term residents without attached rights
• Future:
– A1 aimed to reduce immigration of illiterate spouses
– A2 in two years will make deportations possible
• Positive psychological aspects – need for „third space“ to
reflect effects of migration
• Emancipation of Muslim women as symbolic disguise for
restrictive immigration policies
• Concept of „language“ needs reflection