Jun 7, 2016 05:44 PM
http://www.spiegel.de/international/euro...94931.html
EXCERPT: At 29, Austria's Sebastian Kurz is the world's youngest foreign minister. He speaks with SPIEGEL about the rise of the far right in his country and Europe, the immigrant crisis and the dangers of dependence on Turkey.
SPIEGEL: Foreign Minister Kurz, in recent weeks, the entire world has been watching Austria, which is rather rare. How does it feel?
Kurz: It depends on the occasion. We are not always totally happy about how we are portrayed.
SPIEGEL: In recent presidential elections, almost 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots for Norbert Hofer, the candidate of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). This came as a shock for many people in Europe. Do you have an explanation?
Kurz: Yes, and it is not as simple as the one that is sometimes given. There is, first of all, a serious dissatisfaction with the government and with the political system, in part because important reforms are not taking place. The second main reason is the refugee crisis. [...] Many politicians tried to tell the people that this is not a problem in terms of security or integration. Both led to a strengthening of right-wing populist parties, which is not purely an Austrian phenomenon.
SPIEGEL: Even you, a conservative, had to choose between a representative of the Green Party and one from the FPÖ in the May 22 vote. Which one did you vote for?
Kurz: I made my choice responsibly as a citizen.
SPIEGEL: You don't want to say?
Kurz: The elections were free and democratic, and any result would have to be accepted.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Are you afraid that Europe is making itself dependent on Turkey?
Kurz: The Turkey deal can only be Plan B. Plan A needs to be a strong Europe that is prepared to defend its external borders on its own. If we do not do that, then we are living in a Europe that is dependent -- on other countries, and possibly even on personalities like President Erdogan. And dependency is dangerous.
SPIEGEL: Control of the external EU border is a nice catchphrase, but how is that supposed to work, for example, off the Libyan coast?
Kurz: The people need to be rescued, but that cannot be packaged with a ticket to Central Europe. That only promotes the influx. We need to become active as fast as possible in Libyan waters, so that the people cannot even embark for Italy.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Is the Turkey deal actually working in practical terms? So far only a few hundred people have been sent one way or the other.
Kurz: Chancellor Merkel got Turkey to cooperate through perseverance. There has at least been a serious effort on the Turkish side to prevent people from setting off for Europe. Recently, only about 100 people have been arriving in Greece per day. Last year, it was several thousand daily at times. This effort can, however, also very quickly dwindle.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Erdogan is threatening to terminate the agreement, which creates the impression that he is pushing the Europeans around.
Kurz: If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B with Turkey -- then that is not simply an impression, it is the truth. But Europe cannot be susceptible to blackmail or be weak. I am, in any case, not in favor of having a deal with Turkey at any price.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Could the Turkish model be repeated in an African country -- that governments demand money in exchange for stopping migrants?
Kurz: Of course.
SPIEGEL: It looks likely that the upper ceiling Austria has established for the number of asylum applicants it wants to accept each year will be reached this autumn. Then what?
Kurz: Then it will be necessary to turn people back at the Austrian border.
EXCERPT: At 29, Austria's Sebastian Kurz is the world's youngest foreign minister. He speaks with SPIEGEL about the rise of the far right in his country and Europe, the immigrant crisis and the dangers of dependence on Turkey.
SPIEGEL: Foreign Minister Kurz, in recent weeks, the entire world has been watching Austria, which is rather rare. How does it feel?
Kurz: It depends on the occasion. We are not always totally happy about how we are portrayed.
SPIEGEL: In recent presidential elections, almost 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots for Norbert Hofer, the candidate of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). This came as a shock for many people in Europe. Do you have an explanation?
Kurz: Yes, and it is not as simple as the one that is sometimes given. There is, first of all, a serious dissatisfaction with the government and with the political system, in part because important reforms are not taking place. The second main reason is the refugee crisis. [...] Many politicians tried to tell the people that this is not a problem in terms of security or integration. Both led to a strengthening of right-wing populist parties, which is not purely an Austrian phenomenon.
SPIEGEL: Even you, a conservative, had to choose between a representative of the Green Party and one from the FPÖ in the May 22 vote. Which one did you vote for?
Kurz: I made my choice responsibly as a citizen.
SPIEGEL: You don't want to say?
Kurz: The elections were free and democratic, and any result would have to be accepted.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Are you afraid that Europe is making itself dependent on Turkey?
Kurz: The Turkey deal can only be Plan B. Plan A needs to be a strong Europe that is prepared to defend its external borders on its own. If we do not do that, then we are living in a Europe that is dependent -- on other countries, and possibly even on personalities like President Erdogan. And dependency is dangerous.
SPIEGEL: Control of the external EU border is a nice catchphrase, but how is that supposed to work, for example, off the Libyan coast?
Kurz: The people need to be rescued, but that cannot be packaged with a ticket to Central Europe. That only promotes the influx. We need to become active as fast as possible in Libyan waters, so that the people cannot even embark for Italy.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Is the Turkey deal actually working in practical terms? So far only a few hundred people have been sent one way or the other.
Kurz: Chancellor Merkel got Turkey to cooperate through perseverance. There has at least been a serious effort on the Turkish side to prevent people from setting off for Europe. Recently, only about 100 people have been arriving in Greece per day. Last year, it was several thousand daily at times. This effort can, however, also very quickly dwindle.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Erdogan is threatening to terminate the agreement, which creates the impression that he is pushing the Europeans around.
Kurz: If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B with Turkey -- then that is not simply an impression, it is the truth. But Europe cannot be susceptible to blackmail or be weak. I am, in any case, not in favor of having a deal with Turkey at any price.
[...]
SPIEGEL: Could the Turkish model be repeated in an African country -- that governments demand money in exchange for stopping migrants?
Kurz: Of course.
SPIEGEL: It looks likely that the upper ceiling Austria has established for the number of asylum applicants it wants to accept each year will be reached this autumn. Then what?
Kurz: Then it will be necessary to turn people back at the Austrian border.