Austria says it will work with Germany on joint deportations of criminals to Afghanistan

Austria has fallen in line with Germany and said it intends to start deporting Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan.

That comes after Germany deported 28 'convicted criminals' to Afghanistan on Friday, the first such deportations to the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Vienna says it intends to work closely with Berlin to cooperate on joint deportations.

"The Minister of the Interior has been in negotiations with the German Minister of the Interior for a very long time about how we can solve the problem of deportations to Afghanistan. Because Austria is also deporting Afghans and Syrians right now. Now the next step is to be able to deport people directly to Afghanistan or Syria," said Chancellor, Karl Nehammer.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner called Germany’s decision "very good".

In March, he called talks on whether to reassess the EU-wide ban on deportations to Afghanistan and Syria, "necessary and urgent".

"Currently, we are not able to repatriate anyone to countries like Syria or Afghanistan, as it would be against EU law," Karner said in Brussels in March.

"In Austria, these two countries account for about three-quarters of all asylum applications.

Austria's Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum has already said that deportations to Afghanistan are permissible on a case-by-case basis due to the changed security situation in the country.

And in a July ruling, the Constitutional Court confirmed that assessment from the immigration authorities.

The ministry and the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs are currently working intensively on implementing deportations to Afghanistan, and talks are underway with several European countries.

"The fact that deportations to Afghanistan are possible again is a demand