Greece will next year hold the presidency of the International Center for Migration Policy. With funding from the European Commission, the UN and other institutions, the organization aims to promote international cooperation in the field of migration policy as well as research in the field of migration.
Greece will take the helm of the International Center for Migration Policy (ICMPD) coordination committee in 2024. The announcement was made during the Vienna Conference on Migration (VMC2023) in the Austrian capital, organized by ICMPD from October 10-11.
The conference was attended by many officals and ministers of EU member states, including European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, Sweden's immigration minister Maria Stenegard, and Deputy Minister of Women, Integration and Family of Austria Suzanne Raab.
Greece's Migration and Asylum Minister Dimitris Kairides answered questions from media representatives regarding the latest developments in immigration.
Greece's migration minister wants to revive EU-Turkey deal
When asked to comment on the latest developments in immigration, Kairides noted "the positive developments regarding the negotiation of the EU's new Pact on Migration and Asylum, thanks to the constructive contribution of Italy and most European countries," and expressed his optimism for "the successful conclusion of the negotiations between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament".
Regarding external factors, Kairides referred to the need to "revive the 2016 EU-Turkey joint declaration and the positive climate" created between Greece and Turkey.
Responding to a question about his assessments regarding future developments, Kairides referred to the importance of "the effective guarding and protection of the European borders as well as the need to combine the needs of the European economies in the labour force with the creation of legal migration and labour routes."
Currently, Greece is cooperating with the ICMPD in regional programs and activities aimed at addressing challenges posed by increased migration flows.
Show of support for Greece
While Athens has often been criticized by international media observers and human rights organizations for its policies on migration, this latest move indicates a further show of support for Greece from their European counterparts.
Greece previously received a welcome boost of fresh support from the European Commission earlier this month concerning its handling of the ongoing refugee crisis, following meetings in Brussels.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Ylva Johansson met with Kairides on the sidelines of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers' assembly in Belgium.
According to a press release from the Greek migration ministry, Johansson stated the European Commission is ready to offer emergency funding to Greece to deal with migration and that European organisations such as the European Asylum Agency (EUAA) and Frontex are ready to offer Greece additional, specialized personnel and services.
Reports of Frontex withdrawal quelled
This latest demonstration of support from the European Commission essentially quelled previous media reports that Frontex could withdraw from Greece.
Over the summer, concerns arose that Frontex would pull its border protection force from Greece over a dispute with the Greek authorities for their handling of the tragic incident on June 14 when the Adriana, a battered fishing trawler leaving Libya for Italy, sank inside the Greek search and rescue zone off the coast of Pylos in the Peloponnese, the Greek mainland, leaving more than 500 people feared dead.
However, following the latest discussions in Brussels, it appears that Greece will continue to be supported in its handling of increased numbers of arrivals of undocumented migrants, something which the migration ministry said showed the EU's "full understanding of Greece's position and its practical support for the country."