Racism Report 2003 - Zara

Racism Report 2003 Our Demands Page 63Our DemandsBecause the situation in Austria has not improved, our demands have remained basically unchanged since theRacism Report 2000. In 2003, however, we included a number of new demands referring to the implementationof the Directives imposed by the European Council and to the Equal Treatment Act.1. Acceptance of the fact that Austria was, is and shall hopefully remain an immigration countryMigration and racism are part of the same equation. Not in the sense that the number of migrants is proportionateto the degree of racism, but in the sense that fundamental attitudes towards immigration are reflected in the generalmood towards individual immigrants which, in turn, can develop into racism.Both scientific and demographic evidence clearly point to Austria being an immigration country. The only thingmissing are the political conclusions to be drawn from this evidence.2. Review and improvement of immigration policyLegislation pertaining to aliens continues to be designed to assure the country the greatest degree of isolation withregard to migrants. Migration is perceived as a risk rather than an opportunity.In so doing, however, no moves are made to adopt a properly guided migration policy in the pursuance of whichmigrants who are so desperately needed would be welcomed with open arms. On the contrary, only a few migrantsare reluctantly granted entry into the country and borne more or less on sufferance. Existing opportunities are all toofrequently ignored. Reality, however, shows that competition for migrants is well underway in particular amongst theEU-countries in order to be able to maintain the high social standards. A few minor adjustments to current legislationwould already help:• Linking residence and work permits: people who live here should be allowed to work here;• Facilitating the shift from the status of employee to that of self-employed and vice versa;• Providing assistance in setting up businesses;• Allowing for greater flexibility in legislation governing employment.• Simplifying the procedures for the re-unification of families• Making it easier for graduates of Austrian universities to extend their stay in Austria and enter the labour market.Despite the low number of students graduating from Austrian universities when compared to internationalstandards, foreign students are obliged (almost without exception) to leave the country upon completion of theirstudies. The State would do well to act more in its own interest.3. An honest integration conceptIntegration is often used as a mere slogan and repeatedly abused as such. As a slogan, however, it is useless.Integration describes a process whereby previously separate parts grow together to eventually form a larger wholein which they belong together. A concept of assimilation which calls for unilateral and best possible adaptation ofa minority to the social majority will yield, in purely quantitative terms, more of what is ‚presumably the same‘. Insuch a process, however, much is lost because in terms of experience, knowledge, culture, etc. it entails abandoningeverything not previously familiar or specific to the majority.A process of integration designed to yield ‚surplus value“ must offer people the opportunity to introduce thispotential and still to belong - or precisely because of it. This is no easy task and expects a lot from the migrants. Butif it were to succeed the social majority too must become part of the process. To that end certain basic requirementshave to be established. As the first of many possible measures, we demand:• Political participation for migrants, e.g. the right to vote and stand for election at the municipal level and in labourand other professional unions/associations;• An active desire for a pluralist society;• Recognition of training and professional experience gained abroad;• Automatic granting of citizenship to children born in Austria (including the provision for dual citizenship);• Staffing leadership positions in institutions dealing with integration with migrants;• Staff recruitment procedures for senior posts in the public sector (such as the law enforcement services) targetedtowards migrants;• Positive action.4. A comprehensive anti-discrimination packageThis Racism Report reveals that in many instances of factual discrimination, the legal provisions and countermeasuresavailable are inadequate, highly complicated and cost-intensive - or simply unfeasible. Austrian legal provisionsfail to do justice to the great number and variety of factual acts of discrimination. In particular, concentrating the