National Action Plan on Integration

Policy Response DateMarch 3, 2010 Country: Austria Address: Vienna General Type: Equality/Integration Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Employment - labour market, Housing, Health and social protection, Education, Sport, Anti-discrimination, Anti-racism, Integration - social cohesion

In January 2010, the Federal Ministry of the Interior launched its National Action Plan on Integration. The target group of the plan is the society as a whole, although the plan focuses on various groups of aliens excluding e.g. asylum seekers. The plan specifies measures, most of which have been under way, on the following policy areas: language and education, work and occupation, rule of law and values, health and social situation, intercultural dialogue, sport and leisure time, housing and regional dimension of integration. The involvement of NGOs in drafting the plan resulted in including combating racism and discrimination as elements of integration policy. However, the language used still suggests that Austrian society is based on “we” and “the others”, whose deficits have to be remedied. Furthermore, the plan lacks specifications on budget and time schedule. The report is supplemented by indicators of integration which do not contain any references to (racist) discrimination.

Source:

Bundesministerium für Inneres (2010) Nationaler Aktionsplan für Integration, available at: http://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/Integrationsfond/NAP/nap_bericht.pdf (03.03.2010)

H. Fassmann (2010) Integrationsindikatoren des Nationalen Aktionsplans für Integration, available at: http://www.integrationsfonds.at/fileadmin/Integrationsfond/NAP/nap_indikatoren.pdf (03.03.2010).