What will be the consequences for Greece of the introduced in Germany strengthened border control? The Greeks are very worried. There are fears that there will be an "inflow of migrants".
Germany's decision to introduce border checks to control migration has been heavily criticized by the media and politicians in Greece. In comments in the press, the decision was called anti-European and proof of the capitulation of the German government to the far-right party "Alternative for Germany". (AzG). Above all, however, the fear of the domino effect is growing in Athens – that is, it is possible for other EU countries to follow Germany's example.
The Sunday edition of the liberal newspaper "To Vima" came out with the leading headline: "Closed borders, open wounds", and the pro-government "Apogevmatini" wrote a day later under the heading "Red Alert" that an "inflow of migrants" was now expected.
The Greek government fears that Germany may refuse asylum to applicants who have previously submitted such applications in Greece and turn them back. These fears are best expressed by the daily "Kontra News", which wrote: "Sholz insists on the return of 30,000 Afghans to Greece and offers us 15,000 euros for each immigrant".
The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum did not confirm this information, but did not categorically deny it either. For the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, it is good at the moment that the reason for the renewal of the migration debate this time is not the behavior of Greece itself, but the decision taken in Germany. In this way, people's attention is diverted from the real problems of the country. And they have nothing to do with migration, it is clear from the study of the "Pulse" institute. According to the results, 34.5% of the surveyed Greeks indicated the high cost of living as the most important problem, 18% were concerned about low salaries and pensions and the increase in rents, and 15% of the population considered the economic situation to be a key problem.
The fault of others
Only five percent of the population believe that migration is the main problem. And according to the media and the government, others are to blame: world wars and poverty, traffickers, the liberal left, Turkey when it "opened the floodgates", and Germany with its "generous social policy". In fact, at the moment one cannot speak of a refugee crisis at all: from the beginning of the year to mid-September 2024, only 35,000 arrivals were registered in Greece, mostly from Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and the Palestinian territories.
Greece defends Europe's external borders
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in Austria, where he was recently visiting, that "Greece cannot be required to provide better social conditions to refugees than those of Greek citizens themselves". Mitsotakis, who is seeking an alliance with Austria, Poland and Italy on the issue of migration, made it clear that Greece cannot bear a disproportionate burden. He is convinced that Greece already does more than enough when it comes to migration: the country protects Europe's external borders with strict controls in the Aegean Sea and a fence on the Greek-Turkish border. In addition, Greece has already completed the construction of large reception centers on several islands.
Missotakis did not attack the German government directly. In government circles in Athens, however, the opinion is spreading that with his decision to introduce border controls, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reacted hastily to the rise of the extreme right in Germany. In this way, it harms European rules - for example the Schengen agreement in the long run.
Criticisms of the German decision
Maria Gavunelli considers the reaction of the German government to be "short-sighted". The head of the Greek think tank ELIAMEP is convinced that the introduction of border control will not solve the problem, but will threaten European unity. She sincerely hopes that Germany is not thinking of canceling the Schengen agreement, because "something like that would blow up our European home".
Most experts assume that Germany will not be able to stop the so-called secondary migration flows from Greece with border controls. According to rough estimates, over the past three years, around 75,000 people who have sought asylum in Greece have continued their journey to Germany. Since 2021, several German courts have ruled that persons approved there as refugees will not be returned to Greece - due to the serious risk of not being able to provide food and other basic needs.
Asylum seekers who are not yet recognized in Greece live in closed camps and are not allowed to work. Persons granted refugee status in Greece are allowed to leave the country and travel to other EU countries for three months of the year. They are also allowed to work in Greece, but do not receive any state aid - for example, social benefits, child benefits, etc. However, this also applies to most Greeks.
However, the goal of most refugees and migrants is anyway third countries - England, Germany, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries, where they have friends, relatives and prospects for the future. This was also the case in 2015, when over one million people headed north across the Aegean Sea and through the so-called Balkan route.
From respect to ridicule
At the time, Greece welcomed Germany's hospitality to Syrian refugees under Angela Merkel's administration, which saw the German chancellor as a reasonable and humane person. This was in stark contrast to her previous image as a harsh and unyielding leader during the Greek debt crisis.
The policy of the current government of Olaf Scholz is critically evaluated. Political scientist Panagiotis Ioakimidis says: "The progressive Scholz government adopted a far-right immigration policy in the hope of countering the rise of the AzG. In France and the Netherlands, they tried something similar, but they did not stop the rise of the extreme right, on the contrary, they accelerated it."
Emeritus Professor Joakimidis is one of Greece's most renowned experts, having advised several Greek governments since the 1990s. He is convinced that Berlin's decision to introduce control of the 3,700-kilometer land border with Germany's neighboring countries for six months first does not violate EU regulations. In reality, however, it deeply undermines European integration.