Austria has adopted new legislation for the reintegration of children who do not speak German in schools, following criticism of special classes.

In 2018, Austria introduced special classes for children who do not speak German, temporarily separating them from their peers to facilitate integration. This project, supported by the coalition of conservatives (ÖVP) and the far-right (FPÖ), was criticized by the Greens as 'ghetto classes'. Recently, new legislation adopted by a coalition of conservatives, social democrats, and liberals provides for the reintegration of approximately 49,000 children aged up to 15 in the last two weeks of the summer vacation. The Minister of Education, Christoph Wiederkehr, emphasized the importance of the German language for academic success. However, the teachers' union contested the measure, suggesting that resources should be directed towards existing special education programs.