Parliament passes law on establishing an Asylum Court
On December 5th, 2007 the Austrian parliament passed an amendment to the Austrian constitution establishing an Asylum Court. The Asylum Court would replaced the Independent Asylum Review Board and is the second and last instance in asylum procedures. A complaint to the Highest Administrative Court is not possible anymore. In previous years, a lot of asylum seekers were recognised as refugees only with the help of the Highest Administrative Court. Although the draft proposal contained substantial amendments to the asylum procedure and raised a number of questions concerning constitutional law, the government avoided the public consultation procedure. Sharp criticism and concerns were expressed by experts, UNHCR and some MPs of the Social Democratic Party, one of the governing coalition parties.
The Asylum Court began its work on July 1st, 2008.
Source: http://derstandard.at/3138878/Regierung-schert-sich-einen-Teufel (2011-10-04),
http://www.oe24.at/oesterreich/politik/Scharfe-Kritik-am-Asylgerichtshof/201334 (2011-10-04),
