Austria's Border Wall: Fact Or Fiction?

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a diverse landscape, from the mountains of the Alps to the Pannonian plain in the east and the Bohemian Forest in the north. The country shares its borders with eight neighbouring countries: Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. In response to the European migrant crisis, Austria constructed border barriers on its borders with Slovenia and Italy between November 2015 and January 2016. These barriers are located on internal European Union borders and are intended to control the flow of refugees and migrants. The barrier on the Slovenian border is several kilometres long and includes police facilities for screening and processing migrants. The fence is initially built along a busy crossing from Slovenia into Austria, with the possibility of extending it along a 25-kilometre stretch of the border. The Austrian government has set daily and maximum limits for asylum applications and has stated that it will close its borders if these limits are reached.

Austria's border wall with Slovenia

Austria has border barriers and migration management facilities on its border with Slovenia. These were constructed between November 2015 and January 2016 in response to the European migrant crisis. The barrier on the Slovenian border is several kilometres long and is located near the busiest border crossing, Spielfeld-Šentilj. It includes police facilities for screening and processing migrants. The fence was initially built along 3.7 kilometres (2.3 miles) at the busiest crossing from Slovenia into Austria, near Spielfeld. According to Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the barrier is 2.2 metres high. However, Austria has also put preparations in place to enable the construction, within 48 hours' notice, of a fence along a 25-kilometre (16 mi) stretch of the border if needed.

In October 2023, Austria notified the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the member states of its decision to reintroduce border controls at the internal Schengen border with Slovenia for a period of six months, from 12 November 2023 to 11 May 2024. Austria explained that this decision was a consequence of the unstable migration and security situation in the EU, the significant increase in the number of illegal migrants on the Balkan route, and the resulting overload of the national asylum system, as well as the numerous security risks related to the war in Ukraine.

Slovenia requested that the European Commission initiate a formal consultation to examine whether Austria's extension of border controls was excessive, disproportionate, and not based on the existence of a new serious threat affecting public policy or internal security. Slovenia and Austria have also introduced joint police patrols, demonstrating that alternative measures are more effective than border controls.

Austria's border barrier with Slovenia was constructed as a response to the high number of migrants entering the country during the European migrant crisis. The barrier is intended to help control the flow of refugees and migrants into Austria, which has one of the highest rates of migrant admittance within the European Union.

Migration management facilities

Austria's migration management facilities are located on its internal European Union borders with Italy and Slovenia, as part of the free travel Schengen Area with a common visa policy.

The facilities include border barriers and police facilities for screening and processing migrants. The barrier on the Slovenian border is several kilometres long and is located near the busiest border crossing, Spielfeld-Šentilj. It was constructed between November 2015 and January 2016, in response to the European migrant crisis, with the stated aim of helping to control the flow of refugees and migrants. The fence is 2.2 metres high and was initially built along a 3.7-kilometre stretch, with preparations in place to enable the construction of a fence along a 25-kilometre stretch of the border if needed.

Another migration management facility with barriers was constructed on the Italian border near Brenner, South Tyrol, in 2016. This border is about 251 miles long, with numerous border passes, including the Brenner Pass, which is one of the Eastern Alpine range's principal passes.

In February 2016, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner announced that Austria would allow a maximum of 80 asylum applications per day and a maximum of 3,200 asylum seekers to cross the border if they had applied for asylum in another country. If either of these numbers was reached, Austria would close its borders.

Austria's border barriers

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over 8,823,054. It is surrounded by Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, and the Czech Republic. The country has a mountainous landscape, with 68% of its terrain over 1,640 ft above sea level.

Austria has constructed border barriers with two of its neighbouring countries: Slovenia and Italy. These barriers are migration management facilities built in response to the European migrant crisis. The barriers are located on internal European Union borders, as Austria, Italy, and Slovenia are members of the EU and the free travel Schengen Area.

The barrier on the Slovenian border is located near the busiest border crossing, Spielfeld-Šentilj, and is several kilometres long. It includes police facilities for screening and processing migrants. Construction of this barrier began in November 2015 and was completed in January 2016. The fence is 3.7 kilometres (2.3 miles) long and 2.2 metres high.

In February 2016, Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner announced that Austria would allow a maximum of 80 asylum applications per day and a maximum of 3,200 asylum seekers to cross the border if they applied for asylum in another country. If either of these limits is reached, Austria will close its borders.

Another migration management facility with barriers is located on Austria's Italian border near Brenner, South Tyrol. This facility was constructed in 2016.

Response to the European migrant crisis

In response to the 2015 European migrant crisis, Austria constructed border barriers and migration management facilities on its borders with Slovenia and Italy. The barriers, which are located on internal European Union borders, are several kilometres long and include police facilities for screening and processing migrants. The Austrian government also restricted family reunions for refugees and started campaigns to dissuade people from migrating to Europe.

The Austrian response to the migrant crisis was shaped by the rise of the country's right-wing politics. The far-right Freedom Party, which formed a coalition government with conservatives, took a tough stance on migration, prioritizing it during their European Union presidency. They pushed for a shift in focus from relocating asylum seekers inside the EU to defending Europe's outer borders. The government also moved to cut benefit payments to refugees and immigrants, as well as to some of the institutions that support them.

Austria's response to the migrant crisis was not without criticism. Opposition politician Peter Pilz argued that the border controls were "not about security, but about propaganda." Critics also accused the government of deliberately stoking populist fears about migrants and refugees.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Austria could deport asylum seekers, stating that a law requiring refugees to seek asylum in the first country they reach applies even in exceptional circumstances. This ruling affected the fate of hundreds of asylum seekers, who could be sent back to their point of entry into the EU.

Border controls at the border with Germany

Austria and Germany share a border that is approximately 815.9 km (507.0 mi) long. This border is Austria's longest international border and Germany's joint-longest border with another country. The border runs from west to east in its western part and then turns northeastward from a point south of Salzburg to its eastern endpoint, which is the tripoint of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The border does not pass through any significant lakes but follows the Danube, Inn, and Salzach rivers in its eastern part and the Leiblach in the west.

In 1997, the Schengen Area removed border controls at the Austria-Germany border. However, temporary border controls were reintroduced in 2015 in response to the European migrant crisis. These temporary controls have been extended multiple times and are still in place as of 2024. The presence and frequency of border checks vary depending on the crossing point and an individual's appearance. While some travellers report no checks, others state that the police check IDs for all passengers or select individuals, particularly those who appear to be refugees or non-European.

Austria has constructed border barriers and migration management facilities on its borders with Slovenia and Italy, which are also within the Schengen Area. These barriers aim to control the flow of refugees and migrants, with facilities for screening and processing migrants. The barrier on the Slovenian border is several kilometres long, located near the busiest border crossing, Spielfeld-Šentilj. On the Italian border, a migration management facility with barriers was constructed near Brenner, South Tyrol, in 2016.

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