On 19 April 2014 Federal Minister
of the Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner declared that the Austrian Humanitarian
Admission Programme (HAP), which shall support the most vulnerable refugees
among them women, children and persecuted minorities, will be expanded from 500
to 1500 Syrian refugees. With this initiative Austria follows its humanitarian
tradition, and is ranked second after Germany with regard to European Member
States offering protection to Syrian refugees.
Full support for the initiative
came from Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger, who originally announced the
admission of the first 500 Syrian refugees in late August 2013, and Federal
Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz as well as
from UNHCR, several NGOs and religious representatives such as Cardinal
Christoph Schönborn from the Archdiocese of Vienna and the president of Caritas
Austria Michael Landau.
