Austria might back out of UN migration pact over ‘sovereignty concern’

Austria may follow the US and Hungary in backing out of a UN agreement on migration, its government said on Wednesday. “We view some of the points in this agreement very critically. We will therefore do everything to maintain the sovereignty of our country and ensure that we as the Republic of Austria can decide for ourselves on migration issues,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 UN member nations except the US, which backed out last year. Hungary’s government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said it will not sign the final document at a ceremony in December. Poland, which has also clashed with Brussels by resisting national quotas for asylum seekers, is considering taking the same step, Reuters reports.