MacroPolis

Greece waits for tangible outcome from EU's symbolic backing over border crisis

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be accompanied by top European Union officials when he visits the Evros border region on Tuesday as Athens hopes to receive more than just symbolic support in addressing the increased influx of asylum seekers from Turkey.

Athens closes border, looks for EU support to ride out migration storm

The Greek government is hoping that it will be able to rely on European support in the coming days after tense weekend on the country’s border with Turkey and on the Aegean islands.

PM faces complex challenge as Turkey threatens free passage for refugees

The government scrambled to prepare on Friday for a potential sharp influx of refugees arriving in Greece over the next few days after Turkey intimated that it would provide free passage to Syrians seeking to reach the European Union.

Island unrest puts PM in tough spot

The government finds itself having to tackle two crises: The angry reaction on Aegean islands to the attempt to build closed reception centres for migrants and the arrival of the coronavirus in Greece.

Authorities struggle with islanders' resistance to closed centres for migrants

The government went on a charm offensive on Tuesday, deploying a wide range of arguments to re-build local communities’ trust and support its plan for the establishment of closed migrant reception centres on the eastern Aegean islands.

The "great replacement" comes to Greece - how a far-right meme appeared in mainstream politics

By: Georgia Nakou

While the popularity of the far right in Greece appeared to wane with the defeat of neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn at the polls, there are worrying signs that some of the extreme ideas once associated with the fringes of politics have been absorbed into the political mainstream.

Government and local authorities reach impasse over migrant centres

Tension continues to escalate between central government in Athens and the local communities on the Aegean islands, which are slated to host migrant detention centres according to the latest Migration Policy Ministry plans.

ND steps up efforts to build island detention centres for migrants

The government’s relationship with residents of islands hosting asylum seekers is going to be tested further after it was announced on Monday that authorities will be appropriating land to build closed reception centres.

ND targets NGOs in latest bid to bring migration under control

The government adopted on Tuesday legislation that paves the way for the creation of an official register for non-governmental organisations that deal with refugees.

New minister sets out plan for addressing migration challenges

The Greek government is hoping that the creation of new, closed reception centres for migrants on the islands, along with faster repatriations and return to Turkey as well as greater deterrents will alleviate the pressure that New Democracy has been under over the last few months as it tries to get to grips with the influx of asylum seekers.