Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Austrian politician Sebastian Kurz.
Last updated on November 25, 2024.
Sebastian Kurz is a former Austrian politician who twice served as chancellor of Austria, initially from December 2017 to May 2019 and then a second time from January 2020 to October 2021.
There are no grounds for discrimination in Europe, regardless of whether on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, or religion. On the other hand, there is equally no place for radical thought and political Islam.
A Europe without internal borders can only exist if it has functioning external borders.
Between the summer of 2015 and spring 2016, Austria became one of the European countries most affected by the migration and refugee crisis.
The most important thing is that Europe has to remain united.
We want Austrian-style Islam, not one controlled by other states.
Doing the right thing is a decision, which in many cases means you stand alone.
There is no doubt that our government is pro-European.
In 2015, the majority of refugees and migrants reached the European Union through Greece. Greek authorities were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people arriving at their shores. But they did not stay there. They were waved through to Central Europe at an increasing pace.
One big mistake of many politicians is to have no understanding for the real situation of people in their country.
Most people want a normal centrist approach. But politicians in the center have to show them results.
In Greece, refugees are being waved through to the heart of Europe. That is simply unacceptable in the long run. The European Union cannot act like a human trafficker.
Stopping and returning illegal migrants to their countries of origin must become standard procedure.
In the E.U., there are always morally superior people who think they have to educate the others.
Freedom of establishment is the freedom to work in all of Europe.
When I started in government, I said that children who come here should take German classes before they start regular classes so they can follow what the teachers say. I said it should be possible to be a believing Muslim and a proud Austrian at the same time.
Remembering in an honest way means admitting the truth.
We will try to raise awareness in Europe for the special situation and the special security needs of Israel.
There is no better form of government than democracy.
We have to stop illegal immigration in order to ensure security in Europe.
We are not a superpower like the U.S. We are a small and neutral country.
We need to shift our focus from the debates about redistributing refugees within the E.U. and should concentrate more on external border protection.
The Brexit decision is a decision we see very negatively. But, of course, it has been taken by the British people, so now we have to find a way to deal with it, and from our point of view, it is important to avoid a hard Brexit.
We all know that history cannot be undone. But let me assure you that we Austrians know that, because of our history, we have a great responsibility.
A full body veil is hindering integration.
It is my assignment to change this country.
Integration is a give and take.
We have a problem with political Islam in Austria.
Austria used to see itself as the first victim of National Socialism. That is certainly true for all those who fought in the resistance, whom we cannot thank enough, and who will always be shining examples. But... the ones who stood in such great numbers and celebrated in March 1938 in Heroes' Square were no victims.
We are not against immigration, but we want to have control on immigration. We want to decide who is allowed to come into Austria. We should not let human traffickers decide.
In order to guarantee security in Europe, we need to strongly confront our defense policy in Europe. And we need a solution to our migration policy to secure the inner security of the E.U.
I see myself as a go-to person for immigrants.
What every generation must do is try to make Europe better than it was in the past.
We Austrians know that in light of our own history, we have a special responsibility toward Israel and the Jewish people.
Luckily, Europe, step by step, recognised that these mass refugee movements to Europe cannot work.
The Socialists did not want to work with us, so we created an alliance with the FPO, and we are making good policies of reform for our country.
Our historical responsibility does not end at the Austrian or European border.
What we want to do is to give all children and grandchildren of Holocaust victims the opportunity to become Austrian citizens if they want to.
If people have the choice of where they settle in Europe, then we cannot be surprised that they choose to come over here in search of a better life.
If centrist parties face the challenges and start working for their people more efficiently, the ground for left- or right-wing populism will become less fertile.
It is important that we return to the principles of the Dublin agreement and help Greece with European funds to accommodate refugees.
It's never good to turn to comparisons with Nazis.
Our national focus will be security, with the goal of 'a Europe that protects.'
Austria can only be strong if we are not just members of the European Union but also actively help to strengthen the European Union.
Those who do not put clear limits on migration will soon start to feel like strangers in their own land.
I can assure you that Austria will fight all forms of anti-Semitism in Europe with determination, be it still an existing one or also newly imported anti-Semitism.
Whoever boards a boat and tries to enter Europe illegally has ruined his chances of gaining asylum in Europe and will be sent back.
Our companies are active worldwide. I don't detect globalisation angst among them.
I think people are justifiably fed up of hearing migration talked about at the E.U. level but not seeing anything happen in practice.
Many politicians are far removed from their own electorates and continue to make the mistake of ignoring their voters' problems because they live in their own world.
We are also trying to fight successfully in the European Union against anti-Semitism. Because of Austria's history, it is, from my point of view, our obligation to do that.
We have to be honest and state that Nazis were involved in all Austrian parties after the Second World War: in the Freedom Party, in the Socialist Party, and also in my party.
Taking money in taxes and paying it straight back in subsidies is wrong.
We saw in Greece how dangerous it is if a country has a bigger and bigger debt, and I hope that we will not have a second Greece in our neighbouring country, Italy.
Lots of migrants live in our country, and they make a significant contribution to our economy.
I'm always careful in generalising things.
The European Union is not only a great idea, but it's also an idea we must keep working on.
Austria is a very export-oriented country.
Political Islam's parallel societies and radicalizing tendencies have no place in our country.
The right way is not necessarily the easy one.
The mishandling of the migration question in Europe has certainly created a very fertile ground for protest parties.