Latest news with #KyriakosMitsotakis
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
German–Greek relations face crisis over refugee policy
When the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, visited Germany in mid-May, it was a welcome break from the difficult time he has been having at home. The Economic Council of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, awarded him the Ludwig Erhard Foundation Gold Medal, which gave the conservative politician the opportunity to highlight his successes in growing the Greek economy by 2.3% in 2024 and reducing unemployment by 9.5% in the same year. However, Mitsotakis' meeting with Merz also had its downside, especially with regard to refugees and migration. In theory, the two conservative governments are in agreement: both are determined to stop irregular immigration to Europe. Both have appointed known hard-liners as ministers responsible for migration: the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) politician Alexander Dobrindt in Berlin, and Makis Voridis, a politician with a far-right background, in Athens. And both have decided that from now on there will be strict controls on who can and cannot come to Europe. In practice, however, the two countries have very different interests. Greece lies on the EU's external border. It is a first reception country for refugees and migrants dreaming of a better life in the richer countries of northern and western Europe. Consequently, asylum seekers already registered or recognized in Greece have for years been traveling on from there to Germany, France, or Scandinavia. So far, very few of these migrants have been sent back to Greece. However, the Merz government intends to facilitate their deportation. There is now a legal basis for this, after the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled in mid-April that migrants did not face any extreme hardships in Greece. The presiding judge, Robert Keller, said the yardstick for assessment was whether the migrants had access to "bread, bed and soap." Since this ruling, Germany could, in theory, send several thousand migrants back to Greece — especially young, healthy men traveling alone. The government in Athens does not want this. When asked about the German court's decision, Makis Voridis, the Greek minister for migration, said he did not currently have an application from Germany on his desk. "But we will not be very friendly toward any request," Voridis warned. According to the Greek ministry for immigration and asylum, 56,066 irregular immigrants were registered last year — around 155 per day. In the same year, a total of 219 people returned from Germany to Greece. Only 473 recognized refugees returned to Greece last year from all the EU countries combined, including Germany. So far, in 2025, up until May 16, there have been 114 returnees, 48 of whom came from Germany. Returns in these numbers do not constitute an appreciable burden for Greece. However, if Germany really does decide it wants to send back an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 migrants who have traveled on from Greece, it will create problems for Athens. The Greek borders have been quieter since the start of this year. By April, 8,295 people had arrived — a 30% drop on the same period last year. "Thanks to effective border protection and improved cooperation with Turkey, the immigration flows have reduced by around 30% in the first four months, although the influx from Libya has increased by 174%," Minister Voridis said on May 22. Now the minister for migration is hoping for an agreement with Libya, similar to the one Italy signed with the government in Tripoli in 2017. With financial and technical support from Italy, the Libyan authorities intercepted thousands of people who had already crossed the Mediterranean, and took them back to Libya. Previously, the migration route went from western Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Now, there is a new route from Tobruk in eastern Libya to the Greek island of Crete. However, the Tripoli government does not control the east of the country. Although he has announced that he will soon be visiting Libya, Voridis currently has no dialog partner with whom he could make a deal — and he certainly does not have the money he would need to convince every militia in the North African country to shut down the route between Tobruk and Crete. In June 2023, after setting off from Tobruk, the fishing trawler Adriana sank off the Greek coast near the town of Pylos. It was overloaded, with several hundred people on board. An estimated 600 migrants drowned. Reports by survivors and investigations by international researchers suggest that there were serious failures by the Greek coast guard. Now, a Greek naval court has brought charges against 17 coastguards, some of them senior officers. They include the captain of the coastguard ship LS 920, which was significantly involved in the loss of the Adriana. He is accused of causing the sinking of the migrant boat, and faces charges of "dangerous interference of maritime transport" and "failure to provide assistance." Furthermore, all crew members of the Adriana, two duty officers, and the then head of the Greek coast guard are accused of having exposed the migrants on the ship to life-threatening danger. It is the first time the Greek judiciary has brought a criminal prosecution like this against high-level coast guard representatives. This article has been translated from German.
DW
14 hours ago
- Business
- DW
German–Greek relations face crisis over refugee policy – DW – 05/31/2025
The German government wants to send asylum seekers back to Greece. Athens is opposed to such repatriation. Instead, it wants more EU support with border protection, and a migration agreement with Libya. When the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, visited Germany in mid-May, it was a welcome break from the difficult time he has been having at home. The Economic Council of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, awarded him the Ludwig Erhard Foundation Gold Medal, which gave the conservative politician the opportunity to highlight his successes in growing the Greek economy by 2.3% in 2024 and reducing unemployment by 9.5% in the same year. However, Mitsotakis' meeting with Merz also had its downside, especially with regard to refugees and migration. In theory, the two conservative governments are in agreement: both are determined to stop irregular immigration to Europe. Both have appointed known hard-liners as ministers responsible for migration: the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) politician Alexander Dobrindt in Berlin, and Makis Voridis, a politician with a far-right background, in Athens. And both have decided that from now on there will be strict controls on who can and cannot come to Europe. Geographical distinctions In practice, however, the two countries have very different interests. Greece lies on the EU's external border. It is a first reception country for refugees and migrants dreaming of a better life in the richer countries of northern and western Europe. Consequently, asylum seekers already registered or recognized in Greece have for years been traveling on from there to Germany, France, or Scandinavia. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) both want to stop irregular immigration Image: Lisi Niesner/REUTERS So far, very few of these migrants have been sent back to Greece. However, the Merz government intends to facilitate their deportation. There is now a legal basis for this, after the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled in mid-April that migrants did not face any extreme hardships in Greece. The presiding judge, Robert Keller, said the yardstick for assessment was whether the migrants had access to "bread, bed and soap." 'Not very friendly' Since this ruling, Germany could, in theory, send several thousand migrants back to Greece — especially young, healthy men traveling alone. The government in Athens does not want this. When asked about the German court's decision, Makis Voridis, the Greek minister for migration, said he did not currently have an application from Germany on his desk. "But we will not be very friendly toward any request," Voridis warned. A so-called 'Dublin Center' in Brandenburg aims to speed up the process of returning asylum seekers to their country of arrival Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance According to the Greek ministry for immigration and asylum, 56,066 irregular immigrants were registered last year — around 155 per day. In the same year, a total of 219 people returned from Germany to Greece. Only 473 recognized refugees returned to Greece last year from all the EU countries combined, including Germany. So far, in 2025, up until May 16, there have been 114 returnees, 48 of whom came from Germany. Returns in these numbers do not constitute an appreciable burden for Greece. However, if Germany really does decide it wants to send back an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 migrants who have traveled on from Greece, it will create problems for Athens. 30% drop in arrivals The Greek borders have been quieter since the start of this year. By April, 8,295 people had arrived — a 30% drop on the same period last year. "Thanks to effective border protection and improved cooperation with Turkey, the immigration flows have reduced by around 30% in the first four months, although the influx from Libya has increased by 174%," Minister Voridis said on May 22. The Greek minister for migration, Makis Voridis, says Greece will not welcome any request to repatriate migrants who have traveled on Image: Giannis Panagopoulos/ANE/picture alliance Now the minister for migration is hoping for an agreement with Libya, similar to the one Italy signed with the government in Tripoli in 2017. With financial and technical support from Italy, the Libyan authorities intercepted thousands of people who had already crossed the Mediterranean, and took them back to Libya. Previously, the migration route went from western Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Now, there is a new route from Tobruk in eastern Libya to the Greek island of Crete. However, the Tripoli government does not control the east of the country. Although he has announced that he will soon be visiting Libya, Voridis currently has no dialog partner with whom he could make a deal — and he certainly does not have the money he would need to convince every militia in the North African country to shut down the route between Tobruk and Crete. Libya is a major transit route to Europe for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East (File photo: 2019) Image: Hazem Ahmed/AP/picture alliance Indictment against 17 coastguards In June 2023, after setting off from Tobruk, the fishing trawler Adriana sank off the Greek coast near the town of Pylos. It was overloaded, with several hundred people on board. An estimated 600 migrants drowned. Reports by survivors and investigations by international researchers suggest that there were serious failures by the Greek coast guard. Now, a Greek naval court has brought charges against 17 coastguards, some of them senior officers. They include the captain of the coastguard ship LS 920, which was significantly involved in the loss of the Adriana. He is accused of causing the sinking of the migrant boat, and faces charges of "dangerous interference of maritime transport" and "failure to provide assistance." Furthermore, all crew members of the Adriana, two duty officers, and the then head of the Greek coast guard are accused of having exposed the migrants on the ship to life-threatening danger. It is the first time the Greek judiciary has brought a criminal prosecution like this against high-level coast guard representatives. This article has been translated from German.
Express Tribune
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO World Heritage landmark after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery "is entitled to use" the land, which "the state owns as public property". But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was "fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated".
TechCrunch
a day ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Greece's big tech moment
This week on StrictlyVC Download, we're bringing you to our recent event in Athens. TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos was joined by Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who shared an inside look at how the country is positioning itself as a refreshed hub for innovation, investment, and participation from the world's technology industry. They explored everything from policy changes to new global partnerships to Greece's startup momentum. Plus, the prime minister offered a peek into why founders are starting to return to the country from shores near and far — and through what mechanisms.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
An Egyptian court ruled that St Catherine's monastery sat on state-owned land. (AFP file pic) CAIRO : Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery 'is entitled to use' the land, which 'the state owns as public property'. But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was 'fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated'. The Greek premier's office said Mitsotakis emphasised the importance of 'preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery and resolving the issue in an institutional manner', based on an agreement between the two countries. A Greek delegation is due to visit Egypt next week, the government in Athens said. Sisi's office has defended the court ruling, saying that it 'consolidates' the site's sacred status, after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. Tourism development Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling 'scandalous' and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authorities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means 'the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial – one that evokes much darker times in history'. The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be 'seized and confiscated', despite 'recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister'. Greek foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying 'there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties', the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumours of confiscation were 'unfounded', and that the ruling 'does not infringe at all' on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said 'Greece will express its official position … when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated'. He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery'.
