Austria's will ban the veil in public places as part of a raft of new measures to appease far-right opposition, its chancellor announced today.

Christian Kerr said 'the full-face veil will be banned in public spaces' as he announced a raft of new plans to be implemented over the next 18 months.

A new 35-page document also says that migrants granted the right to stay in Austria will be forced to sign an 'integration contract' and a 'statement of values'.

Austria's chancellor Christian Kerr (pictured) will seek to ban full-face veils in public as part of a wide-ranging government programme aimed at fending off the challenge of the far-right

There was no specific ban on headscarfs for civil servants, backed by the far right, but the guidance insists employees 'present themselves as religiously neutral'.

The document includes details on how Austria will beef up its security services.

It also promises the government will lower taxes and non-wage labour costs, restrict access to the labour market for foreign workers and create 70,000 new jobs.

'Those who are not prepared to accept Enlightenment values will have to leave our country and society,' the text says.

Kern said he wanted to avoid 'giving 600,000 Muslims in Austria the feeling that they are not part of our society.'

Many of the measures set out in the programme must be hammered out in detail and receive parliamentary approval before they can come into force.

'The full-face veil will be banned in public spaces,' Christian Kern said after ministers signed off on the new programme of policies. Stock image

The move comes eight months after Kern, 51, replaced Werner Faymann at the head of an unhappy 'grand coalition' between his Social Democrats (SPOe) and the centre-right People's Party (OeVP).

Both are facing a strong challenge from the Freedom Party (FPOe), which like similar groups across Europe has stoked concerns about immigration, security and the EU to top opinion polls.

There has been speculation for months that the Austrian coalition might call early elections. Monday's programme was aimed at showing it aims to govern until its mandate expires in late 2018.