Austria’s Integration Minister Susanne Plakolm has announced a sharper approach to migration and social policy, tying financial aid more closely to refugees’ willingness to integrate and, in the case of Ukrainians, to their readiness to work.
A new three-year mandatory integration program, set to begin this fall alongside reforms to social aid, will apply to asylum seekers likely to remain, as well as those already granted protection. Participants who skip German or civic values courses without justification, or fail to register with the employment office, will see their integration benefits reduced. Plakolm stressed the policy is not about expanding budgets, pointing out that asylum numbers have dropped and many classes now sit half-empty because of absences and repeat enrollments.
For Ukrainians displaced by war, family benefits are guaranteed only until October 31. Negotiations for a successor program are underway, with future payments to be tied to employment efforts. Special circumstances, such as caring for small children, would be taken into account.
Another contentious measure is the planned ban on headscarves for girls under 14 in schools. Though Austria’s Constitutional Court struck down an earlier ban in 2020 for unfairly targeting Muslims, Plakolm insists the new law is about child welfare rather than religion, arguing that headscarves “have no place” for young girls. Accompanying steps would include talks with parents and support from school psychologists and child welfare authorities.
Plakolm also pressed for stronger European action against social media platforms, citing the need for stricter age checks and better policing of harmful content. Illegal acts in daily life, she argued, must be punished equally online.
On family policy, she rejected calls to mandate equal parental leave, saying families know best how to divide time, though a working group will explore incentives for more fathers to participate. She also signaled openness to debate on “social egg freezing,” currently restricted to medical cases, as a way of supporting future parenthood.
Reflecting on the war in Ukraine and Hungary’s frequent clashes with EU consensus, Plakolm called for unity and quiet diplomacy, urging Austria to act as a bridge rather than a scold.
