Annual Policy Report 2007

This report gives an overview of the developments in the Austrian immigration, asylum and integration policy, legislation and debates in 2007. Among the important institutional developments are the establishment of an Integration Platform and the decision to establish an Asylum Court. Furthermore, a number of new laws were adopted. Among the most significant laws are the Prison Relief Package and the new laws concerning the asylum procedure, which were adopted in the context of the establishment of the Asylum Court. Policy debates deal mainly with the call for a reform of the migration system in order to open the labour market for highly skilled workers and to facilitate the application procedure.