Annual Policy Report 2014

The Annual Policy Report 2014 provides an overview of migration and asylum-related debates and developments in Austria. In 2014, the establishment of the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum and the Federal Administrative Court were important topics as they are part of a major institutional and administrative reform. There were also significant amendments to the Border Control Act and to the Citizenship Law aimed at tackling the issue of so-called foreign fighters. A policy development worth highlighting is the initiative "Integration at the regional level" which was launched to support integration at the local level and to strengthen the integration competence of local authorities. The lack of available reception facilities for asylum-seekers in the provinces and the overcrowding of the main initial reception centre in Traiskirchen were the issues most intensively covered in the Austrian media.