Daily Times

VIENNA: Austria’s foreign minister Sebastian Kurz said that asylum seekers to the European Union (EU) should be held on islands rather than be allowed direct access to the continent.

He suggested in an interview with Die Presse newspaper that was published on Sunday that the bloc follow the ‘Australian example’ to discourage migrants from setting out on the often perilous journey to Europe. Under Australia’s harsh and much-criticised immigration policy, asylum-seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat were turned back or sent to Pacific camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea where they were held indefinitely while their refugee applications were processed. They were blocked from resettling in Australia even if found to be refugees.

Sebastian said, “The Australian model of course cannot be completely replicated but its principles can be applied in Europe”. He added that he was skeptical about the impact of a recent agreement with Turkey aimed at reducing the number of migrants travelling to the continent. A similar model was used in the United States (US) in the first half of the 20th century, with new arrivals being held on Ellis Island as they travelled to New York, he said. Sebastian added that the EU should adopt a resolution whereby those who try to enter Europe illegally lose their right to demand asylum.