Refugees in Greece: 4 Proposals to Address Deadlock
During the last weeks Mitsotakis government has been resorting into an extreme and divisive rhetoric to deal with the refugee issue. A number of his MEPs and Ministers have been reproducing fake news, while others have been prone to target people that have openly criticizing government’s decisions.
Greek PM Mitsotakis is following the same nationalist path adopted in the days when the Prespa Agreement was negotiated between the former PM Tsipras and his Northern Macedonian counterpart Mr Zaev. This path consisted of the construction of a so-called “patriotic front”, spreading hate in the Greek society in lack of any solid and concrete, alternative proposal.
Greece has to deal with the refugee issue in a serious and responsible way, implementing policies that could address it in the benefit of both the refugees themselves and the local societies as well. In the contrary, ND government is mixing refugee inflows with the problems pertaining the bilateral relations with Turkey. These are two separate issues that cannot be put in the same basket, nor can be identified and linked to one another.
Four Proposals for the Refugee Issue
At the current state, refugee inflows can be managed by the government. Both in terms of the balances between the refugees and the local population, but also in terms of technical and financial capacity. The proportion of refugees / local population allows a proper and effective distribution of the former ones across the country. In addition to that, the technical and administrative know-how acquired during the previous years offers the state mechanism the possibility to support open and functioning facility centers, while the national economy can bear the burden of supporting and incorporating the refugees into the local societies, the education system and the labour market.
But aside numbers, it takes political will to make this happen. And Mitsotakis himself has shown in many possible ways that he is reluctant to elaborate a successful plan, being afraid that this would damage his political profile. In other words, the Greek PM prefers to fuel tension and blame the front opposition Syriza party for not being supportive of his controversial policies, receiving support and applauds from the extreme flanks of his party, rather than prepare a strategy that could yield results for the society overall, in the long run.
Greece could benefit from a proper agenda on the refugee issue in many ways. Firstly, developing an inclusive migration policy would immediately marginalize all these extreme political and non-political circles that spread hate, fake news and deploy their far-right agenda. Secondly, it would re-shape the national policy on refugees and migrants, prepare the society for a new social reality that can be beneficial for all parties involved - i.e. local communities and refugees. Thirdly, it would detach the refugee issue from the Greek-Turkish relations and give space and energy to the government to commit itself to the handling of Erdogan's political bluffing.
Unfortunately, Mitsotakis government seems to be more likely to imagine “internal enemies of the state” rather than face the reality as it stands nowadays. The Greek government has actually no allies, no essential support by the EU, being faced with a huge impasse. The consequences of this failed policy and short-sighted approach will be dire and deep for the society altogether in the coming years.
*Dimitris Rapidis is founder of Bridging Europe. Mattias Christensen is political analyst at Bridging Europe.
Greek PM Mitsotakis is following the same nationalist path adopted in the days when the Prespa Agreement was negotiated between the former PM Tsipras and his Northern Macedonian counterpart Mr Zaev. This path consisted of the construction of a so-called “patriotic front”, spreading hate in the Greek society in lack of any solid and concrete, alternative proposal.
Greece has to deal with the refugee issue in a serious and responsible way, implementing policies that could address it in the benefit of both the refugees themselves and the local societies as well. In the contrary, ND government is mixing refugee inflows with the problems pertaining the bilateral relations with Turkey. These are two separate issues that cannot be put in the same basket, nor can be identified and linked to one another.
Four Proposals for the Refugee Issue
- Relocate all refugees from islands to the mainland and use quota-based system to keep population balance between locals and refugees.
- Prepare a multi-layered mechanism of skills evaluation, language courses and gradual labour integration based on the needs of the local societies.
- Secure that every child will go to school.
- Secure that all refugees will have free access to primary healthcare system.
At the current state, refugee inflows can be managed by the government. Both in terms of the balances between the refugees and the local population, but also in terms of technical and financial capacity. The proportion of refugees / local population allows a proper and effective distribution of the former ones across the country. In addition to that, the technical and administrative know-how acquired during the previous years offers the state mechanism the possibility to support open and functioning facility centers, while the national economy can bear the burden of supporting and incorporating the refugees into the local societies, the education system and the labour market.
But aside numbers, it takes political will to make this happen. And Mitsotakis himself has shown in many possible ways that he is reluctant to elaborate a successful plan, being afraid that this would damage his political profile. In other words, the Greek PM prefers to fuel tension and blame the front opposition Syriza party for not being supportive of his controversial policies, receiving support and applauds from the extreme flanks of his party, rather than prepare a strategy that could yield results for the society overall, in the long run.
Greece could benefit from a proper agenda on the refugee issue in many ways. Firstly, developing an inclusive migration policy would immediately marginalize all these extreme political and non-political circles that spread hate, fake news and deploy their far-right agenda. Secondly, it would re-shape the national policy on refugees and migrants, prepare the society for a new social reality that can be beneficial for all parties involved - i.e. local communities and refugees. Thirdly, it would detach the refugee issue from the Greek-Turkish relations and give space and energy to the government to commit itself to the handling of Erdogan's political bluffing.
Unfortunately, Mitsotakis government seems to be more likely to imagine “internal enemies of the state” rather than face the reality as it stands nowadays. The Greek government has actually no allies, no essential support by the EU, being faced with a huge impasse. The consequences of this failed policy and short-sighted approach will be dire and deep for the society altogether in the coming years.
*Dimitris Rapidis is founder of Bridging Europe. Mattias Christensen is political analyst at Bridging Europe.