Austria: We’ll only take 80 asylum-seekers per day

AUSTRIA defied Brussels yesterday by bringing in a daily cap on the number of migrants it will let in.

Chancellor Werner Faymann said his country, a part of the Schengen passport-free zone, could not cope with an endless influx and was setting ‘a good example’.

European Commission officials told Mr Faymann his plan was illegal under EU law but he responded by threatening to lower the limit even further.

Hours after the formal warning, Austria put the cap into force, limiting the number of people who can claim asylum to 80 a day.

In Brussels, Mr Faymann told leaders: ‘It is unthinkable for Austria to take on asylum-seekers for the whole of Europe. After 100,000 refugees, we can’t tell the Austrian people it will just continue like this. That’s why I tell the EU: we set a good example … it is time for the EU to act.’

Austria’s move sparked fears there would be a domino effect with other countries imposing limits. Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia have already tightened their borders in response.

European Council president Donald Tusk said countries should concentrate efforts on an EU plan to hand Turkey billions of euros for its help in stemming the flow of people. He added: ‘We must avoid a battle among plans A, B and C … it creates divisions within the EU. There is no good alternative to a comprehensive European plan.’

Austrian interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said: ‘We will subsequently have to reduce the daily upper limits further.’ She has said there would be a daily maximum of 3,200 on people travelling through Austria to seek protection in a neighbouring country.

EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has ordered Mr Faymann to scrap the plan, saying it would be ‘incompatible with Austria’s obligations’ under EU and international law.