A better life in Greece?

[markus]

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all fine, or you at least get by the winter somehow, covering yourself in work and thinking of the summer to come. Ok that's what i do. No recommendation though

Now, this is not about emigration to Greece, which could be presumed from the title and which i also know, many of us would like to do for whatever reasons. It is in fact about a sidenote i came across some time ago, that got me thinking. The situation has worsened since then and i think it's worth sharing. Although the issue hasn't been covered by international media as the riots last december have, some of it still makes the news on occassion, so you might have heard: I'm talking about the situation for asylum seekers in Greece, which Karl Kopp, an activist for the (german-based?) NGO PRO ASYL, simply describes as "out of control". Read his engaging essay in English:

http://www.proasyl.de/fileadmin/proasyl ... ng_END.pdf

As most of us don't have the opportunity to go round talking to people right now, his view might be of interest: "It does not matter whether you take a trip to Athens, go round Eleftherios Venizelos airport or the Central Immigration and Asylum Authority in Petrou Ralli Street, visit the parks, public squares and derelict buildings where homeless asylum seekers live; it is plain to see that Greece is currently incapable of meeting its legal obligations concerning refugees."

Surely though, Greece is not the only one to blame here. Some background: Due to the Dublin II Regulation someone seeking asylum within the territory of the EU is required to apply in the member state first entered. Logically, this puts excessive pressure on border areas, such as Greece, Italy or Spain. In the greek case, there is a dramatic increase of incoming refugees in recent years. While more central EU countries got rid of the refugees this way through legislation, Greece claims to be "overwhelmed" with the problem (to quote the Major of Patras, where one of the biggest refugee camps is located). Officials argue they are not responsible, since many refugees don't want to stay in Greece anyway. To keep it that way, the authorities try very hard to make them least welcome, knowing that they are supported by many.

The EU has to fundamentally rethink its immigration policy, so does Greece. One of the principal aims of Dublin II is to prevent an applicant from submitting applications in multiple member states. Now, why would you wanna do that, if you wouldn't exactly know what you are looking at? No refugee is ever expecting the land of milk and honey awaiting (although Greece surely could be perceived that way for someone who spends the holidays - myself included - but refugees will have a whole different experience, that's for sure). So they know, and STILL, they are coming.

Kopp concludes: "I can conceive of no justification for returning asylum seekers to Greece, a country where the reception system is extremely limited and of help to few refugees, and where asylum procedures are unlawful."

[markus]

For a broader perspective see:
http://fortresseurope.blogspot.com/2006 ... pe_16.html

Blog initiated by an italian journalist, who found that 13.444 people have died at the european borders since 1988. Upward trend.

On camp locations and their "externalisation" see:
http://www.migreurop.org/

The EU cooperates with regimes like the libyan and finances their effort to prevent migration. The camps outside the EU are in an even worse condition. The idea behind it is, to keep them out of sight and out of mind.

[manu]

Due to the Dublin II Regulation someone seeking asylum within the territory of the EU is required to apply in the member state first entered. Logically, this puts excessive pressure on border areas, such as Greece, Italy or Spain. In the greek case, there is a dramatic increase of incoming refugees in recent years. While more central EU countries got rid of the refugees this way through legislation, Greece claims to be "overwhelmed" with the problem

That sounds like a legal way to make it impossible to deal with the issue.

Italy's solution is to concentrate all the people who actually make it across the border and are caught by the authorities in prisons of sorts, euphemistically named "Centre for temporary stay" (Centro di permanenza temporanea). These places are overcrowded just like normal prisons, which sometimes bring the 'residents' to protest and revolt (sorry I could only find Italian links).
Very recent in Italy is the introduction of a law that allows ordinary citizens to organise and perform some kind of security patrols (luckily it has been decided unarmed), aimed at restraining the increased threat to public safety that authorities are not able to control. The threat is perceived by the public opinion as coming mainly from illegal immigrants.
Who is the public opinion in this case, I wonder? Is the 'fear of the foreigner' possibly fuelled by the media? Anyone who reads the Italian news knows that this is a rhetorical question. Do you read news titles in other European countries such as "Drunk Albanian hits child with car and runs away" or "Romanian rapes woman"? I seem to remember never reading such titles on the English news, although they have the Muslim=terrorist issue more prominent there.

Plus in Italy immigration is a major political issue. This means that the chances of finding actual solutions to problems are rare. What matters is again what the public will think of the politicians' actions. Not to mention the enlightened Prime Minister and his entourage...

I don't know what to say about Greece. In Kefalonia you don't really notice the problem so much. I always notice that everybody is happy to employ Albanians in the low paid insecure jobs, but hardly anybody seems to welcome them. Just personal observations. When we talked about it, nobody told me the details of how they got their papers. It was always a generic 'it's difficult'. I know that all of them expressed a will to go back home some day soon, after making enough money. I don't know if it's only those in Kefalonia.

[markus]

Hey Manu! I'm going to comment on few of your insights if i may.. still trying hard to avoid work

Do you read news titles in other European countries such as "Drunk Albanian hits child with car and runs away" or "Romanian rapes woman"?

Indeed you don't read this kind of stuff in Germany (except for some right-leaning papers maybe, which i dont frequent). I guess that's because you would have to read too much of the old "mob stabs immgrant" then or have those guys on display a little too often

070205_neonazi_hmed_3p.hmedium.jpg (19.25 KiB) Viewed 778 times

in fact, for the biggest part the public, politicians and press are very keen to prevent that scenario, cos it doesnt go well with our new oh so peace-loving image.

Very recent in Italy is the introduction of a law that allows ordinary citizens to organise and perform some kind of security patrols

I heard about it... thats insane! Obviously politicians are using the xenophobic impulse of the public in a very bold way there.

When we talked about it, nobody told me the details of how they got their papers. It was always a generic 'it's difficult'.

You are probably right, kefalonia isn't exactly the hotspot in this matter. Still, i'm surprised you actually get to talk to greeks about the problem at all. Sure, albanian immigrants have been around for some time now and i believe many have gotten used to it. Since they are doing a good job, they are tolerated for some time. But the asylum-seekers coming in from the east are a whole different case. I'm not sure whether they will become the next generation of work-slaves, since many of them are underaged unlike the typical albanian male between 20 and say 40, who has to leave his family behind and therefore always intends to go back one day. Actually that's an interesting question: Why don't they just bring em all, since family ties are allegedly important in albania? Can they not get the papers for them too? Are the wages just enough to feed their family in albania but not in greece?

Anyway there is a lot to talk about here...
Take care, Markus