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Private TV stations refuse to air FPÖ ads

Several private TV stations in Austria have refused to broadcast political commercials for the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), ahead of the Vienna elections on October 11th.

Published: 2 October 2015 14:47 CEST

Private TV stations refuse to air FPÖ ads

Heinz-Christian Strache (centre) with an election poster. Photo: FPÖ

The ProSiebenSat.1 Puls4 group and the RTL station both refused to air four 30-second commercials, without stating why.

The ATV station however said that it treats all political parties equally and will broadcast the ads.

Public service broadcaster ORF is not permitted to broadcast party political commercials.

In a statement ProSiebenSat.1 Puls4 confirmed that it would not be broadcasting promotional videos for the FPÖ’s top candidate Heinz-Christian Strache, or for Ursula Stenzel (formerly of the ÖVP). “Our terms and conditions state that we reserve the right to reject commercials. Now, so close to the election, our TV schedules are actually fully booked and we can’t accept any more adverts.”

One of the rejected FPÖ adverts promotes the idea of “the right to asylum for a limited time – not opening the door to everyone”, and the others deal with the themes of housing, pensioners and the economy.

IP Österreich, which markets German TV station RTL in Austria, also said that it reserves the right to reject commercials, without giving a reason. “This is what we’ve done here, and currently I know of one other business ad where we have done the same thing,” IP CEO Walter Zinggl said.

A spokeswoman for ATV, Lisa Fuchs, said that the station treats “all parties equally and we accept all party political commercials on the same terms.” She added that the FPÖ ads are “harmless”, and that the ÖVP has also called for time limits on the right to asylum.

“We would not broadcast any discriminatory advertising – all the party political ads have been reviewed to make sure they meet our terms and conditions,” she said.

The FPÖ is complaining that, with the exception of ATV, Austria’s commercial broadcasters are censoring them. “We are used to a variety of their programmes being used to direct criticism against the FPÖ,” party secretary Herbert Kickl said on the FPÖ’s YouTube channel.

What are Austria's plans to tighten family reunification process?

The number of people seeking asylum in Austria has dropped compared to last year. However, Austria faces challenges due to the changed profile of asylum seekers.

Around 53 percent of applicants are minors, and the proportion of women seeking asylum has also risen significantly, reported Der Standard. Austria is now experiencing the “family reunification” phenomenon. In other words, when family members, such as spouses and children, join those who have been granted asylum or refugee status in Austria.

Stricter family reunification processes

The challenges due to an increase in family reunification applications have provoked heated discussions in Austria.

Under Austrian law, asylum seekers are generally permitted to bring their spouses and minor children with them. To confirm the family relationship, they need to present various documents and if there is any doubt about a relationship, the authorities may perform a DNA test to determine the blood relationship and rule out fraud.

DNA tests are already taking place in Austria, but the country’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer from Austrian People’s Party, ÖVP, recently announced that he wants to start using them more frequently and “at the slightest doubt”, reported Der Standard. “We will restrict family reunification through strict checks”, Nehammer said.

At the same time, Austria also plans to intensify the use of specially trained document examiners and strengthen security checks on family members by the security authorities.

The Green Party, Die Grünen, and The Freedom Party, FPÖ, has criticised Nehammers proposal.

The Green Party suggested that it showed a lack of legal understanding since the tests are already taking place.

The Freedom Party questioned the credibility of the proposal and emphasised that the call for stricter rules was an attempt to manipulate public opinion, reported Austria Presse Agentur.

Why is there a demand to introduce stricter controls?

The Interior Ministry registered around 6,900 asylum applications in the first quarter of 2024. Of these, 45 percent were made by applicants who had received an entry permit as part of the Austrian family reunification programme. In the previous year as a whole, the proportion was 16 percent, reported DPA International.

Due to the increasing family reunification applications, schools in Austria, especially in Vienna have started to face challenges, according to Der Standard. During the last month, 350 children and adolescents of school age arrived to Vienna through family reunification.

The schools are reported to struggle with the large number of new students, already affected by around 4,000 Ukrainian students who came to Vienna due to Russia’s attack in February 2022. The city is now planning to build 45 new container classrooms in order to cope better with the situation.

Vienna is also facing a lack of affordable housing for those families who are currently coming to Austria due to the family reunification.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)

How does family reunification work?

If a foreigner has been granted asylum status in Austria, family members can apply for entry permits at an Austrian representation authority abroad within three months of this status being granted, according to the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum.

If approved, they can travel to Austria to apply for asylum through the family procedure and receive the same protection status as the reference person.

However, if the application is submitted after three months, they have to also provide proof of adequate accommodation, health insurance, and income.

Family members include:

Minor unmarried children.
Spouses, provided that the marriage already existed before entering the country.
Registered partners, provided that the partnership already existed before entering the country.
The legal representative (custodian) of minor unmarried children, provided that this representation already existed before entering the country.

READ NEXT: Border centres and ‘safe’ states: The EU’s major asylum changes explained

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