Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed concerns on Thursday about Germany’s plan to introduce stricter checks at its land borders, stating that it effectively undermines the Schengen zone’s open-border agreement and places an unfair burden on frontline countries like Greece.
Germany announced that these border checks within the Schengen zone, where free movement is typically allowed, will begin on September 16 and initially last for six months as part of efforts to reduce irregular migration.
“Germany previously adopted a very tolerant and socially generous stance towards migrants, which is now facing a major social backlash,” Mitsotakis said during an interview with a Greek radio station.
He argued that Germany’s response shouldn’t be to unilaterally dismantle the Schengen system, placing responsibility on countries at Europe’s external borders. Instead, Mitsotakis advocated for the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which focuses on reinforcing Europe’s border security.
Greece was a primary entry point during Europe’s 2015-16 migration crisis, with over a million refugees, many escaping the Syrian civil war, arriving through Turkey. Most of these migrants continued their journeys to Germany and other Western European countries.
Although migrant arrivals in Greece have significantly decreased since then, the country still receives migrants from countries like Libya and Egypt, many of whom continue toward Western Europe.
Since 2019, Mitsotakis’ conservative government has implemented stricter migration policies. Greece is currently extending a cement and barbed-wire fence along its northern border with Turkey to curb migrant entries, which will be completed within a year, according to Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis.
Source: Ekathimerini.
