Brussels puzzled over migration nomination for Austria's Magnus Brunner

The naming of Austrian Minister Magnus Brunner for the migration portfolio in the European Commission has created controversy in Brussels.

Austria is well-known as a country with a strict position on freedom of travel within the European Union, having blocked Romania and Bulgaria's integration into the Schengen Area and been condemned for unlawfully extending border controls.

On top of this, Vienna's nominee has a financial background — having served as finance minister since 2021 with hardly any migration experience.

Ursula von der Leyen chose the current finance minister to handle internal affairs and the migration portfolio, however, his profile and Vienna’s hard line on border controls have become a source of worry for some in the European Parliament.

"Everybody was extremely surprised because his portfolios as finance minister, expert on energy and so on, he showed up on the topic of migration without specific knowledge or engagement," Andreas Schieder, an Austrian member of the S&D group in the European Parliament, said.

"Also, the Austrian government made some very non-constructive moves in the last year. They were not very helpful for the migration pact. They made a veto on the Schengen enlargement for Romania and Bulgaria, which everybody is saying is extremely counterproductive," Schieder added.

However, for some, Brunner's nomination makes sense. Manfred Weber, head of Brunner’s European People Party defended the choice.

"An extremely important issue is to win back control of our borders. Stopping illegal migration in Europe is a key demand and that's why it's good to have an EPP member there in the lead," Weber said.

It is expected that the Socialists, Liberals and Greens will push against a migration policy that is focused only on strengthening borders and making deals with third countries to take migrants back. Austria, in particular, has called on the European Union to utilise funds for more fences on the bloc's borders.

"What should never, ever happen is undermining of our fundamental values and human rights that is at the core and should always be at the core of any migration policy and any border policy," says Bas Eickhout, Dutch member of the Greens/EFA group.

Brunner's position in the Commission is also in question as Austrians will head to the polls on the 29th September to elect a new Parliament, with the far-right Freedom Party of Austria leading in the polls.

If Brunner is finally rejected, the next migration commissioner could come from a different government.

One thing is for sure, Brunner is set to have a challenging parliamentary hearing.