ΛΑΘΡΟΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤΕΥΣΗ,ΜΟΥΣΟΥΛΜΑΝΙΚΟΙ ΜΙΝΑΡΕΔΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΟΙΜΗΤΗΡΙΑ, ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

ΤΟ ΜΟΥΣΟΥΛΜΑΝΙΚΟ ΤΟΞΟ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΓΙΓΝΕΣΘΑΙ

ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΟΧΗ ΤΟΥ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΟΣ

ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΤΟ

Newsletter on Immigration to Greece

ΤΟΥ

Research Institute for European and American Studies

(RIEAS)

Newsletter on Immigration to Greece

February 2009

Editor: Ioannis Kolovos

Highlights of the Minister of Interior Mr Prokopis Pavlopoulos’ speech during the 5th International Conference, organized in Athens by the Hellenic Migration Policy Institute (IMEPO) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPIUSA) on January 26th, 2009.

Mr Pavlopoulos claims that “in order to be able to equally utilize all people, there shouldn’t be any borders”. A strange statement coming from someone who is in charge of the Police and the Border Guards! The Ministry’s relevant official statement can be found here (in Greek only):

http://www.ypes.gr/ypes_po/detail.asp?docid=1969

The relevant press release by the Hellenic Migration Policy Institute (IMEPO) can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.imepo.gr/documents/DT270109.pdf
Do note that, according to the IMEPO press release, all speakers praised legal immigration but no-one noticed the elephant in the room – at least as far as Greece is concerned: illegal immigration and the need for a more efficient repatriation system.

Greek trade Unionists accuse Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants of “bleeding the pension funds dry”

Opening the doors to Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants (as reported in January’s newsletter, “Greece opens borders for Bulgarian and Romanian workers”) seems to have a consequence not foreseen by the Greek government.
A wholesome report by the Athens News (13/2/2009) can be read here (in English):
http://www.athensnews.gr/athweb/nathens.prnt_article?e=C&f=&t=01&m=A05&aa=1

Long-term residence status offered to 2nd generation immigrants contravenes EU directive

A Ministry of Interior Bill which offered a chance to the children of legal immigrants to acquire the long-term resident status has ran into serious trouble as it seems to contravene an EU directive. According to the Bill, immigrant children who had been born in Greece, who had reached their 18th year of age, whose parents still resided the country legally and who had finished the obligatory education (i.e. 6 years of elementary school and 3 years of high school) were eligible for the long-term resident status.
According to the reply of the European Commission to a relevant question by Coalition of the Radical Left MEP Mr Dimitris Papadimoulis, the status of residence of the child’s parents is irrelevant to the acquisition of the long-term resident status by the child. Moreover, according to European Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003, the main criterion in order for an immigrant to acquire the long-term resident status is to have five consecutive years of legal residence.
The European Commission will contact the Greek authorities in order to clarify the details of the Bill. Still, it is amazing how the Ministry of Interior managed to overlook the EU directives when they drafted it.
Mr Papadimoulis’ question (in Greek) and the European Commission’s reply (in French), can be found here:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=CRE&reference=20090115&secondRef=ANN-01&language=EL&detail=H-2008-1010&query=QUESTION
The relevant Bill [see Article 40, paragraph 7] can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.parliament.gr/ergasies/nomosxedia/ValidNomosxedio/636/A-DIMITIKI-pap.pdf
The European Council Directive can be found here (pick the language of your choice):
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0109:en:NOT

Parliament discusses the situation of illegal immigrants in Patras

Deputy Minister of Interior Mr Christos Markogiannakis admits that they cannot be repatriated.
The discussion can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.parliament.gr/ergasies/showfile.asp?file=es090202.txt

Professor Theodore Lianos writes in favor of the repatriation of all illegal immigrants

Athens University of Economics and Business Professor Theodore Lianos, in an article in “To Vima tis Kyriakis” (15/2/2009) argues that, even if the population of illegal immigrants in Greece is 250,000, this number is “exceptionally high”. In his view a new regularization would not solve the problems but would lead to a dead-end instead as 250,000 new illegal immigrants would enter the country in the prospect of a new amnesty in two-three years’ time. Professor Lianos favors the repatriation of all illegal immigrants and claims that “the governments and state mechanisms know the way [to repatriate all illegal immigrants] well”.
Professor Lianos’ article can be read here (in Greek only):
http://www.tovima.gr/default.asp?pid=46&ct=6&artId=247365

Muslims admit of fundamentalist preaching in Athens’ informal mosques

The Muslim Union of Greece sent two letters addressed to the Ministers of Education and Interior in order to put pressure on the issue of the establishment of a mosque and of a cemetery in Athens. In the letters the MUG argues that the large and uncontrolled influx of immigrants from Muslim countries has resulted in the need for a formal mosque and a cemetery in Athens. According to the MUG letters, Muslims pray in informal mosques where preachers do not preach of the peaceful co-existence of peoples and the benefit of Greece, but promote their own agendas.
The relevant article (Eleftherotypia 2/2/2009), can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=112,dt=02.02.2009,id=9210316

Hammarberg Report on human rights of asylum seekers in Greece has been publicized

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Mr Thomas Hammarberg has publicized his report on human rights of asylum seekers following his visit to Greece in December 2008.
The full report can be found here (in English):
https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1401927&Site=CommDH&BackColorInternet=FEC65B&BackColorIntranet=FEC65B&BackColorLogged=FFC679

Parliament discusses the situation in Athens downtown “ghettoized” areas

Yet another issue directly related to illegal immigration…
The whole debate can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.parliament.gr/ergasies/showfile.asp?file=es090209.txt

Arrests for illegal entry and/or illegal stay jump by 30%

According to figures released by the Greek police, arrests for illegal entry and/or illegal stay in 2008 reached 146,337, an increase by 30.2% compared to 2007. The figures presented in the table above show that arrests for illegal entry/stay have more than doubled in the last four years.
The figure can be found here (see p. 8 – in Greek only):
http://www.astynomia.gr/images/stories/egklhm2008paper.pdf

Immigrants/foreigners play a significant part in serious crime in Greece

According to criminality figures for 2008 released by the Greek police, the presence of foreigners (in most cases immigrants both regularized and illegal) plays a significant part in the commitment of serious crimes. Foreigners/immigrants (7.3% of the population according to 2001 Census data) make up for 42% of those arrested for homicides, for 43% of those arrested for rape, for 45% of those arrested for thefts-burglaries and for 51% of those arrested for robberies.
The criminality data for 2008 can be found here (in Greek only):
http://www.astynomia.gr/images/stories/2009/grafhmata_egklhm_2008.pdf

Η κ. ΜΑΡΙΛΕΝΑ ΚΟΠΠΑ ΖΗΤΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΙΣ ΒΡΥΞΕΛΛΕΣ ΝΑ ΥΠΟΧΡΕΩΣΟΥΝ ΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΝΑ ΔΙΝΕΙ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟ ΑΣΥΛΟ ΣΤΟΥΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΛΑΘΡΟΜΕΤΑΝΑΣΤΕΣ

MAIN opposition Pasok Eurodeputy

Marilena Koppa

Marilena Koppa

on February 20 tabled a question in Brussels, asking the European Commission what punitive action it will take, if any, to force Greece to protect the rights of asylum seekers.

Η ΣΥΝΕΧΕΙΑ ΕΔΩ