News & Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION SUBMITS COMPLAINT TO EUROPEAN COMMISSION OVER NEW AUSTRIAN QUOTA SYSTEM FOR REFUGEE FAMILY REUNIFICATION
(BERLIN, Germany) – Today, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) Europe, in coalition with other non-governmental organizations and legal academics, filed a complaint to the European Commission (the Commission) against Austria over its laws restricting the rights of refugees to family reunification. This complaint challenges a new Austrian federal law requiring the Austrian government to set a quota restricting the number of people who will be permitted to enter and live in Austria each year as family members of refugees.
Despite the European Union (EU) Family Reunification Directive forbidding EU Member States from imposing waiting times or quota systems on refugee family reunification, the law went into effect in August, and the Austrian government is now working to fix the first quota. The complaint urges the Commission to initiate infringement proceedings against Austria over the quota system, which will needlessly keep more refugee families separated, including family members living in dangerous situations abroad.
IRAP and partners previously submitted a complaint to the Commission in April 2026 challenging Austria’s unilateral suspension of almost all family reunification with refugees, which is still pending
“In our previous complaint to the European Commission, we warned that failure to act against Austria’s unilateral suspension of its obligations to refugees and their families would embolden EU Member States to commit further violations of EU law,” said David Öberg Loveday, International Litigation Attorney at IRAP Europe. “Now, just a few months later, Austria has challenged the EU legal order yet again by flouting the clear ban on quota systems and enforced waiting times for refugee family reunification. History tells us that state lawlessness spreads when allowed to take root. Once again, we call on the Commission to intervene to uphold the rights of refugees and the rule of law on which the EU project depends.”
The complaint was submitted by:
- IRAP Europe
- asylkoordination österreich
- Diakonie Österreich
- Prof. Dr. Anuscheh Farahat, Prof. of International Law in European Context at the University of Vienna, and Co-speaker of the Vienna Centre for Migration and Law (in her own capacity)
Additional Information
- Read the complaint against Austria’s quota system for family reunification with refugees: HERE
- Read the April 2026 complaint against Austria’s unilateral suspension of family reunification with refugees: HERE
- Learn more about IRAP Europe: HERE
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.