Research Institute for European and American StudiesNewsletter on Immigration to Greece
Editor: Ioannis Kolovos
Will Turkey honour their deal with the EU?
In mid-December 2013 an agreement was signed between Turkey and the European Union in order for Turkey to take back immigrants who illegally enter the EU from Turkish territory. It should be noted that Turkey had signed a similar agreement with Greece but failed to live up to its expectations. From 2002 until 2014 Greece submitted 127,309 requests to the Turkish side but Turkey took back only 3,838 illegal immigrants.
A relevant article (To Vima, 6/7/2014) can be read here (in Greek only)
Navy ships assist Coast Guard in patrolling the Aegean
Due to the increase of the illegal immigrant inflow from the Aegean Sea it was decided that five Greek Navy gunships will assist the Hellenic Coast Guard in patrols and in search and rescue operations.
The relevant news report (To Vimaonline, 10/7/2014) can be read here (in Greek only)
Jobs Greeks won't do?
In 2013 an increase was recorded in the number of younger Greeks becoming actively involved in the agricultural sector.
A relevant article (Kathimerini, 13/7/2014) can be read here (in Greek only)
Clashes between ethnic groups are rife in Greek prisons
Greek prisons are rife with incidents of clashes between prisoners of different ethnic groups. Albanians constitute the majority of foreign prisoners and Georgians are lately being considered as a dangerous group.
A relevant article (Kathimerini, 18/7/2014) can be read here (in Greek only)
Minister of Public Order: "Illegal immigration is a major national issue for our country"
The Minister of Public Order Mr Vassilis Kikilias admitted in an interview that, as far as illegal immigration is concerned, "the situation becomes more difficult for us by the day as on the one hand there is an increased immigrant inflow due to the unstable political situation in the Middle East and on the other hand there is a gradual decrease of EU funding on border guarding".
The full text of Mr Kikilias' interview (Kathimerini, 20/7/2014) can be read here (in Greek only)
Things do not look good for the immigration flow balance sheet
According to data released by the Hellenic Police HQ, in the first semester of 2014 arrests for illegal entry and/or illegal stay were up by 25.7% while repatriations were down by 11.7% compared to the same period of 2013.
The relevant Hellenic Police press release can be read in full here (in Greek only)