The plan announced on Monday by the Chancellor in Vienna would bar all foreigners from claiming the main benefit payment for five years.

"The fundamental rule we will introduce is that German will become the key to accessing the full minimum benefit," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a news conference. "That means that whoever has insufficient language skills will not be able to claim the full minimum benefit."

Kurz said that most people on the minimum welfare payment were in Vienna. Roughly half of them were foreign citizens, he said, something he described as "frightening."

Kurz's government which came to power last year in coalition with the far-right, has taken a hardline stance on immigration and asylum-seekers and cutting benefits is seen as a deterrent to people thinking of coming to Austria.

Read more: Austria's Sebastian Kurz wants to use EU border guards in Africa

Sebastian Kurz — at 31 — became Europe's youngest national leader following an election victory last year

Under the plan, a single person's main benefit payment would be capped at €563 ($656) a month, rising to the €863 per month available to Austrians once the individual passed a German-language test. Child allowances would also be reduced.

Clash with Brussels?

Under the EU's freedom of movement directive, Austria is required to treat EU citzens equally to Austrian nationals.

"Freedom of establishment is the freedom to work in all of Europe. Freedom of establishment is not the freedom to seek out the best social benefits system and in that sense this waiting period is in my opinion a step in the right direction," Kurz said.

When asked if the new plans were legal, Kurz said that would be decided elsewhere. "We are not the Constitutional Court," he said. In March, the court struck down the reform which stated anyone claiming the main minimum benefit must have lived in Austria for five of the last six years.

Austria takes over the EU's rotating presidency in July.

Read more: Austria shifts further to the right with hardline asylum policy

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean First on site At around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, the search-and-rescue vessel Aquarius, along with the Libyan coast guard, was alerted by the Italian Rescue Maritime Coordination Center (IMRCC) that a rubber boat was in distress in international waters. Aquarius is manned by rescue workers from SOS Mediteranee, medics from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and a nautical and technical crew.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean People in distress Aquarius made first contact with the rubber boat in international waters at around 11:00 a.m. Soon after, the SOS head coordinator was informed by IMRCC that the Libyan coastguard would take charge of the rescue operation. As people in the overcrowded rubber boat, visibly in distress, waved frantically, Aquarius was instructed to standby and wait for further instructions.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Helping hand Two hours later, and with no Libyan coastguard in sight, the Aquarius was able to convince the IMRCC and the Libyans to allow them to rescue children, women and families. They evacuated 39 vulnerable people. They had to leave the remaining 80-90 men on the rubber boat to the Libyan coastguard. The Aquarius has the capacity to carry 500 rescued people.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean All in it together MSF nurse Sylvie was on board the Aquarius' fast-speed rescue boat, whose personnel identified medical and vulnerable cases later evacuated to the NGO ship. Over the course of three missions, the staff saved 292 people from more than 20 countries, the majority from sub-Saharan Africa. Besides showing signs of dehydration, exhaustion and weakness, some also displayed signs of physical abuse.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Having fun As parents rested on the ship's deck, MSF logistician Francois took a moment to interact with the newly arrived children. Those rescued got a chance to bond with the ship's crew as well as to express themselves in safe and secure surroundings.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Doctor's orders Dr. Dan from California gave each new arrival a check-up to see whether anyone was in need of urgent medical care. Once on land, those rescued are examined by local medical staff in Italy.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Holding tight in rough weather As the vessel pitched and rolled in strong winds, SOS Mediteranee team member Theo cuddled a child rescued the day before. "As a seaman it's your duty to save anybody in distress," he said. "We all shed tears yesterday. I had a baby and children in my arms. We helped some women. What's the most important is to get all these out people out of the water, to save them and for them to survive."

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Thanking the Lord As the Aquarius approached the Sicilian city of Messina, the designated Italian port of safety, many of the rescued women began singing French and English gospel songs praising the Lord and thanking him for safe passage across the Mediterranean Sea.

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean On terra firma Francois personally helped all 292 men, women and children disembark. "Emotionally it was really hard, because once the last guy stepped out on shore, it was over. I could just call everyone and say disembarkation successfully finished, and then I felt empty."

NGO ship rescues Europe-bound migrants in Mediterranean Thank-you kiss These lucky people made it to Europe. According to international NGOs figures, between 750,000 and 900,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers remain trapped in Libya, whose migrant detention centers the UN has called inhumane. Many see merely one way out: to attempt to cross one of the world's most deadly seas in rubber dinghies that can only be considered floating death traps. Author: Filip Warwick



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kw/jm (dpa, Reuters)