Austria's conservative government announced on Friday that it was offering a "return bonus" of 1,000 euros to Syrian refugees who decide to voluntarily return to Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, Reuters reports.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer reacted quickly after Assad's fall on Sunday, saying the security situation in Syria must be reassessed to allow the deportation of Syrian refugees.
However, deportations against the will of refugees will only be possible once it becomes clear what course Syria will take. At this stage, the Austrian government is focused on voluntary returns and has temporarily suspended the processing of Syrian asylum applications, like many European countries.
"Austria will support Syrians who wish to return to their homeland with a return bonus of 1,000 euros. Now the country needs its citizens to be rebuilt", Nehammer said in an English-language post on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
Syrians are the largest group of asylum seekers in Austria, and Nehammer, as leader of a conservative party, is under pressure from the far-right Freedom Party, which often seeks to outdo the ruling party with even stricter immigration policy proposals.
It is unclear how many Syrians will accept the offer. Travel to Syria remains expensive, with the cost of a one-way economy ticket to Beirut, often used as a jumping-off point for a land transfer to Damascus, exceeding the return bonus offered.
Austrian national airlines have suspended flights to the Middle East due to the insecurity, further complicating the return.
Austria's far-right Freedom Party won about 29% of the vote in September's parliamentary elections but has failed to find a coalition partner. Nehammer is currently negotiating a coalition with the Social Democrats and the liberal Neos party.