Tag Archive for 'migration policy'

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Ministry of Citizen Protection wants to reduce number of asylum seekers in Greece no matter what

The Greek government obviously is trying by all means – legal or illegal – to reduce the numbers of asylum seekers in Greece and parallel to increase the recognition rate. Obviously they are developing all kinds of tricks to achieve their aim and to show Europe the “progress” they are expected to make.

Since the beginning of the transitional period that will last until the implementation of the asylum law – planned until January 2012, there are five second instance asylum committees examining both new asylum claims and old ones from the huge backlog. The proudly presented increase of asylum recognition rates to 12,35% is a game of numbers though. It includes mainly second instance decisions and all kinds of status (asylum, humanitarian and subsidiary). Having a backlog of more than 35.000 open asylum claims it is not really difficult to find good cases in order to increase the asylum recognition rate suddenly. While it is a fact that the second instance asylum committees themselves present an immense improve in the asylum process due to their improved quality, statistics of recognition rates have to be analysed carefully.

However, the remaining backlog of asylum claims is disturbing the image of progress in Greek asylum policy. Thus, the Ministry of Citizen Protection has developed a variety of tricks to further decrease the number of asylum seekers in Greece. In October it announced that asylum seekers who had not been able to renew their papers since June 2009 would be given a period of two months in order to get back their Pink Cards. Anyway, taking into consideration the severe difficulties in entering the Aliens Police in Athens it is nearly impossible to actually make the renewal of the temporary residence permit for asylum seekers. Thus, there will be a huge group of asylum seekers who will fall out of the asylum process and whose files will be closed if they do not manage to enter the Aliens Police.
The respective announcement of the Ministry said:

Announcement on renewal of asylum-seekers’ pink cards: Asylum-seekers holding a pink card which has expired since June 2009 are requested to proceed to the authorities responsible for receiving and examining asylum claims in order to renew their pink cards, within a period of two (2) months, from 5 October 2011 to 5 December 2011 (inclusive). In case of failing to show up within this deadline the examination of their cases will be withdrawn.

Additionally, the police started to arrest illegaly in sweep operation in the Athens centre asylum seekers with Pink Cards. Despite the fact that many of them had been given already a date for their asylum interview they proceeded their interviews immediately in an accelerated process. Thereby the asylum seekers were not informed that what was following was their asylum interview, the interviews did not exceed 30 minutes in any case, they were made sometimes in languages the asylum seekers could not understand, the asylum seekers were not given time to prepare themselves for the interview or to contact the UNHCR or any other NGO who could provide them with legal aid and they were not informed about the procedure and their rights concerning the appeal against the decision in case of a rejection. GCR Press Release on the 2nd of November 2011

As it seems, the Greek government is trying to proceed as many asylum cases as possible in the shortest period of time possible whatever it takes. Are these the achievements of the National Action Plan?

Member of LAOS (extreme right party) demands new mines for Evros to stop migration

Andonis Georgiadis, congreeman of the extreme right party LAOS demanded to re-instal mines in the area of Evros in order to stop migration.

Close the borders so that nobody enters. Some years ago we had mine fields. It was declared as not acceptable. We took them out. I would say, we should put them back. With big signs warning the ones who want to enter that there are mines. If we want to protect our country!

alterthess newsblog

Debate about reintroduction of internal border controls in the EU: The EU-Commission wants to take the decisions itself

Will there be again border guards at the internal EU borders? France and Denmark have temporarily recovered their border control guards. Now the EU-commission has made a proposal for the reintroduction of internal border controls under specific circumstances and preconditions.

According to the proposal of the 16th of September, decisions on the reintroduction of internal border controls at specific European borders should be made by the commission in the near future and not by the member states themselves. Germany, Spain and France already announced their disagreement. While the commission wants to hinder the solo of EU-member states, these insist on the national sovereignty rights.
Continue reading ‘Debate about reintroduction of internal border controls in the EU: The EU-Commission wants to take the decisions itself’

Minister of the Protection of the Citizen plans increased militarisation of borders in Igoumenitsa

The Minister of the Protection of the Citizen, Mr. Papoutsis, on Thursday (5th of May) discussed in a meeting with the mayor of Igoumenitsa, Giorgos Katsinos and the parliamentarian of Thesprotia prefecture form PASOK party, Christos Katsouras, about improving the co-operation among the Greek police and the Greek coast guard, the strenghtening of controls in the area and possibilities to get rid of the migrants in Igoumenitsa. The increasing controls will be practiced according to the German example of internal border controls (30km zone along the borders) in order to avoid to undermine the Schengen Treaty. The Ministry is trying to find places in all over Greece in order to build up so called first reception centres (translation: detention and deportation centres). This means: more police, more coast guard officers, more controls, more arrests, more detention centres, more sans-papiers in detention, more deportations…! Is this the “human solution” the local government of Igoumenitsa and the people attending the protest against the migrants at the 3rd of May were asking for?

See (in Greek):
http://tvxs.gr/news/τοπικά-νέα/συνάντηση-παπουτσή-για-τους-μετανάστες-της-ηγουμενίτσας
http://news.kathimerini.gr/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_1_06/05/2011_441150