“We have a clear understanding that we need to stop migrants getting on those boats and trying to get to Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. It is an open discussion, and the main aim is to stop people entering the boats,” Karl-Heinz Grundböck said, when asked to elaborate on possible further plans in this regard.
"We do have political discussions on national and European levels what would be the best concept," he added.
Australia detains refugees who come to the country to seek asylum on the islands of Manus in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, a practice which has been criticized by rights groups for leaving refugees living in inhumane conditions.
Europe has been experiencing a major migrant crisis, as hundreds of thousands of people flee conflict-torn states in North Africa and the Middle East in an effort to find a better life in stable and prosperous European states, such as Austria and Germany.
