“No one has a monopoly on humanitarianism. No one is more humanitarian than us. Our priority is the safeguarding of human life” said the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairides, who however clarified that the government’s main priority is to crack down on irregular immigration “which, however, goes not only through the guarding of our borders and the international initiatives for the surveillance of the wider area of ​​the Mediterranean, it also goes through the creation and strengthening of legal migration routes”.

“Our goal is, both at national and European level, that the criminal networks of traffickers do not determine who enters and who does not enter Europe. We have made progress, but we still have a long way to go and we will work in this direction with passion.” emphasized Dimitris Kairides and in the context of reading the program statements of the government he proceeded to a complete description of the problem of immigration in Greece and Europe.

He explained at the same time that the will of the government is to insist on the fair but strict policy that gives a solution to the problem and destroys the criminal networks of traffickers and in this context he “welcomed” the intention of the European Commission to investigate the malicious and cunningly selective leak of internal documents of Frontex “which – as he said – aim to create a climate of pressure and division, so as to weaken our effort both at the national and European level”.

“In the past four years, we have achieved a feat and controlled the flows of irregular immigration, despite the efforts not only of the powerful criminal networks of traffickers with multiple connections, but also of our neighbor to the east. In addition, we created accommodation structures for asylum seekers that ensure humane living conditions, we took care of unaccompanied minors and the vulnerable, and we proceeded with a series of integration programs, mainly through education and vocational training. emphasized the responsible minister and sent the message that “it would be a mistake to become complacent and rest on our laurels.”

He explained that the pressure on our external borders, which are also the external borders of Europe, remains and is demonstrated by the hundreds of failed attempts at irregular entry that are prevented every day thanks to the tireless efforts of the Coast Guard and the Police. “The conditions today in the southern and eastern coast of the Mediterranean are such that we call for increased vigilance, especially now during the summer months” underline with emphasis.

As his speech as the new Minister for Immigration and Asylum takes place in the wake of the major maritime tragedy off Pylos “which shocked pan-Hellenic and international public opinion but also became the occasion for a barrage of attacks against our country by some foreign media”, Mr. Kairidis clarified that we await the findings of the independent judicial investigation “we listen carefully to all comments, no matter how malicious they may be at times, and that our first priority is the safeguarding of human life”.

“No one is more humanitarian than us, and in no one do we recognize the monopoly of humanitarianism. After all, our own national authorities, the Greek Coast Guard, were the ones who rescued those who were rescued. Neither the NGOs nor some foreign correspondents or MEPs. The Greek Coast Guard has self-sacrificingly rescued, in recent years, tens of thousands of immigrants who entrusted their lives to criminal traffickers. But another rescue and another facilitation of traffickers, as some seek. We are humanitarians but we are not naive.” he interpreted.

“One thing should be certain. This government, the New Republic government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will not allow the issue of irregular immigration and border protection to be hijacked by the obsessions and hypocritical ideology of one side or the populism and hostility of the other.” he added.

Referring to legal immigration, the competent minister called for us to look at the matter honestly, pointing out that the Greek economy, thanks to its rapid development, has a shortage of workers in specific sectors, such as agriculture, tourism, catering and construction. He informed the national delegation that today the Decentralized Administrations have been overwhelmed by transfer requests for seasonal workers, reaching 140,000 of which 110,000 requests concern the needs of land workers.

He also emphasized that the country’s economy needs to be able to attract skilled personnel in high-tech sectors, as many other developed countries do.

“Irregular immigration is a problem that needs to be addressed. But, as legal, with rules and controls, based on our own and only national priorities, it is also a big challenge that needs to be managed, for the benefit of the national interest, the Greek society and economy” he said in this dual context, migration and asylum policy explained that it is based on four principles:

a) the obligations of the country, as they arise from the international treaties we have signed but also from our choice for Greece to have respect for International Law at the forefront of its foreign policy,

b) the security of the country and its borders,

c) social cohesion and the smooth integration of immigrants,

d) the evolving needs of the Greek economy.

Dimitris Kairides also set the goal of the ministry, and of the government that it is “building a common European migration and asylum policy”. “The multiplicity and confrontations of the member states of the European Union favors crime and inefficiency to the detriment of all of us. Especially in conditions of free movement of persons, thanks to the great conquest of Schengen, it can lead again to catastrophic crises, as we experienced in the recent past” he said and added that “for Europe, its secondary political exploitation is an existential threat. It can dismantle the European project, the greatest post-war conquest of the European peoples. Our goal is to prevent that.”

“We have a long way to go for a coherent, which will ultimately be the only effective, common European policy with common rules, funding, solidarity and enforcement, including a common and robust mechanism for mandatory repatriation of irregular entrants. For now, however, I appeal to the opposition forces, represented in the European Parliament, to support the agreement there, because, despite justified objections, the alternative is the existing regime which is far less satisfactory. he reported.

The axes of government policy

More specifically, he summarized the axes of the government’s policy as follows:

a) Digitization and simplification of procedures: Digitization of all data with the aim of optimizing the operation of services (for example fast issuance/renewal of residence permits) and facilitating control authorities, immigrants and employers.

b) Completing the modernization of accommodation structures and converting some into special purpose:

The goal is the dignified and safe living of asylum seekers in accordance with international hospitality standards, as well as the best possible working conditions for the employees of the ministry’s services. Special emphasis will be given to the protection of vulnerable immigrant groups, such as minors, people with disabilities (PWD), elderly, abused women, patients, etc.

c) Social integration of refugees and immigrants, with education and training programs, as well as their participation in the labor market:

Continuation of programs such as HELIOS and the action “Promoting the integration of the refugee population into the labor market”, which is financed under the Recovery and Resilience Fund, for the formation of a permanent mechanism for the social integration of citizens of third countries with an emphasis on vocational training. To these we will add a specially adapted integration mechanism for 2,000 unaccompanied minors.

d) Protection of vulnerable migrant populations (e.g. unaccompanied minors):

In continuation of the institution of guardianship of unaccompanied minors, as it evolved with Law 4960/2022, which creates a clear, functional, flexible and child-centered guardianship system with transparency and accountability, will be implemented with resources from the Migration and Internal Affairs Funds related work of the Commission. With this guide, corresponding mechanisms will be created for all vulnerable migrant groups.

e) External dimension: Bilateral seasonal migration agreements for the benefit of the economy, as well as dynamic participation in the formation of a new common European asylum and repatriation policy.

Purpose the creation of legal migration routes to meet the needs of the economy in critical sectors such as agriculture, the construction sector and tourism.

In closing, and in view of the Prime Minister’s meeting with the Turkish President in Vilnius, Dimitris Kairides noted that our aim is to achieve cooperation with Turkey in the management of irregular flows. “We have no illusions but we want to exhaust the scope for cooperation in good faith and we can, through Europe, help the neighbor to manage its own big problem of immigrants and refugees that it has, especially today, after the devastating earthquake of last February ” write down.

After Mr. Kairides observed that immigration is at the forefront of current affairs, “not always in the right way and for the right reasons”, he pointed out: “It is not only a problem but also a challenge. It doesn’t need to divide us. What is needed are solutions. Feasible and implementable for the benefit of Greek society”.

“Neither screams nor crocodile tears” he said and added that for Europe, his secondary political exploitation is an existential threat. It can dismantle the European project, the greatest post-war conquest of the European peoples. “Our goal is to prevent that,” he emphasized.

Finally, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum underlined that the ND, as the largest political force of the European center-right today and the par excellence representative of the European center, will continue in the next four years to defend the line of reason and common sense. “With humanity but without naiveties. And based on the interest of the place. I am confident that we will succeed and I sincerely look forward to the cooperation of all of us” he said characteristically.