36 CultureShock! Austria
in Austria. Vienna’s Mayor Michael Häupl and his new Green
Vice Mayor Maria Vassilakou presented the priorities of their
joint government programme for the next five years in the
City Hall.Domestic Issues
Immigration Reform
Increased calls for tighter regulations on immigration were
a result of a jump in the number of foreigners living in
the country. During the 1990s, the immigrant population
doubled from 345,000 to almost 750,000. Austria has one
of the largest proportions of foreigners in the EU. In fact,
the percentage of foreign-born residents is higher than in
the United States. Yet Austria does not see itself as a nation
of immigrants.
The majority of immigrants are from the former Yugoslavia
and Turkey. Following World War II, Austria instituted a
guest worker policy, encouraging workers from Turkey
to temporarily relocate to Austria. Of course, temporary
immigration often turns permanent. The fall of the Iron
Curtain led more immigrants to Austria, and then the
outbreak of war in the former Yugoslavia brought refugees.
Austria accepted a large number of displaced Bosnians; in
fact, it welcomed the highest number of refugees per capita
in all of Europe.
The arrival of so many people gave rise to calls for
immigration reform, and, in part, increased the popularity
of right-wing politicians like Haider. In response, the
government changed immigration laws a number of times,
limiting the number of work permits issued to foreigners
and then placing restrictions on asylum seekers. The overall
policy tends to focus on ‘integration before immigration’. It
remains a hot topic in domestic politics.Environmental Issues
Austrians are very concerned with environmental issues,
and have strongly supported progressive policies. In 1975,
Austrians voted in a plebiscite against the use of atomic energy,
launching the first such ban in Europe. Critics, however, argue