Austria won’t sign UN global migration pact – govt

The Austrian government said on Wednesday that it won’t sign a global pact to promote safe and orderly migration, citing concerns about national sovereignty. Vienna has joined neighboring Hungary in shunning the agreement, AP reported. Conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has made curbing unregulated migration a priority. The Global Compact for Safety, Orderly and Regular Migration, which isn’t legally binding, was finalized under UN auspices in July. It is due to be formally approved at a meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, from December 11-12. Kurz and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache reportedly said that Austria won’t sign the document or send an official representative to Marrakech. They cited, among other things, fears about a possible watering-down of the distinction between legal and illegal migration. “There are some points that we view critically and where we fear a danger to our national sovereignty,” Kurz said.