Welcoming the Unwelcome: The Politics of Minimum Reception Standards for Asylum Seekers in Austria

Despite considerable efforts to harmonize reception conditions for asylumseekers in the European Union, the adoption of Directive 2003/9/EC reflectsdomestic interests, producing substantially different standards at the nationallevel. By drawing upon the Austrian case, this article examines the politics andpolicies of reception that have emerged in the context of the adoption, trans-position and implementation of the Directive. Based on analysis of policy docu-ments, house rules and expert interviews, it will be demonstrated to what extentand why outcomes differ widely even at the sub-state level. The prevailingvariations are ascribed to, first, wide margins of administrative discretionand, second, conflicting interests between regional and federal governments,regarding financial and executive competences but also over the mere presenceof asylum seekers. Thus, the concept of ‘minimum standards’ translates intominimum welfare and restricted enjoyment of personal freedom but not intomeasures supportive of a dignified life for asylum seekers.Keywords: asylum seekers, minimum standards, reception conditions, exclusion,multi-level governance, dispersal, housing

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