Greece and the Refugee Crisis: Lessons to Learn

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1 : Lessons to Learn Bilkent University

2 Main Points The biggest refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War Greece and Turkey have approached the refugee crisis differently The EU free movement regime under pressure European institutions and ideas under severe challenge Alarming development in Central and Eastern Europe The EU-Turkey Deal and its Impact 2

3 Legal Reference UN Convention on Refugees (1951) The Treaty of Rome (1957) The Treaty of Maastricht (1990) The Treaty of Schengen (1985, 1995) The Dublin II Regulation (2003) 3

4 The Syrian Civil War The biggest humanitarian catastrophe in the region Since 2011 the Syrian state has come to the point of implosion A sharp rise in the number of refugees Other refugee waves from Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan 4

5 Greece and the Refugee Crisis Transition from immigrant sending to an immigrant receiving country Transit position Enormous effect of economic crisis Sharp fall of immigration Rise of emigration Nationalism 5

6 Greece and the Refugee Crisis Securitization of the refugee crisis through speech acts Refugees as security threats Terrorism Health Crime The Evros fence Domestic political priorities vs. effective crisis management Greece as a border bastion, not as buffer of the European Union 6

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8 Lessons to Learn Negotiations with Turkey on deterring the refugee wave Turkey as a buffer state The Copenhagen criteria have been forgotten No reference to EU membership NATO involvement in the Aegean 8

9 Greece and the Refugee Crisis Early responses The Evros fence Securitization of migration The rise of the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government Left and right-wing populism Internationalism vs. xenophobia 9

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13 The Current State of Affairs I The EU-Turkey deal has reduced the numbers of arrivals Sharp increase in recent months Speculation about the reasons Strong concern about the situation in Eastern Aegean islands Nominal vs. real numbers of refugees Strong cynicism 13

14 The Current State of Affairs II The role of the SYRIZA-ANEL government SYRIZA ministers have NGO background Disappointing management performance Instrumentalization concerns Declared vs. ulterior motives ANEL ministers strongly against refugees Yet strong involvement through the Ministry of Defence Adamant commitment to the EU-Turkey deal 14

15 Greece and the Refugee Crisis Different framing Unconditional rhetorical support for all immigrants While SYRIZA endorsed activist opposition to all security measures, his far-right wing partner opposes all immigrants Following the rise to power instrumentalization of the conflict SYRIZA betrayed its voters on austerity but resists on the immigration issue Unwillingness or inability to keep promises? 15

16 Greece and the Refugee Crisis Recent data 45,614 refugees and migrants 32,158 mainland 13,456 islands 1,146 relocated to EU member states 29 returned to Turkey, according to the EU-Turkey deal, 1,336 total Sharp increase of arrivals in recent months Highest levels since March 2016 with 4,900 people arriving in September, a 60% increase compared to September last year and a 36% increase compared to August. 16

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18 Lessons to Learn The refugee crisis in Greece led to moral hazard Interests and incentives need to be clearly defined in order not to create dangerous conflicts Instrumentalization turned into a major challenge Already existing administrative shortcomings compounded 18

19 Lessons to Learn Need to focus on best practices The Telos example An island, known for its high social capital, excelled in refugee integration Emphasis on human and social capital is of primary importance Local partners need to subscribe to same norms 19

20 Lessons to Learn It is essential to look into local and national politics and seek ways to inform the debate about the refugee crisis The rise of xenophobic parties is likely to pose a major obstacle Engage with the concerned EU nationals before they fall victims to xenophobic rhetoric 20

21 Conclusions Greece is caught between an economic and political crisis Need to avoid moral hazard More transparency in the allocation of resources Focus on best practices Urgent need for reframing of the refugee crisis Need to address root causes of the conflicts 01/10/2017 Bilkent University 21

22 (i) How can national and local governments work together to respond to migrants and refugees needs and support their empowerment? Role of social capital Tilos vs. Kos Transparency Engagement with local civil society Communication 01/10/2017 Bilkent University 22

23 (ii) What are concrete challenges to coherence and effective collaboration among different levels of governments in relation to policies related to migration and the needs of migrants and refugees? Domestic politics matter Proxy wars Within coalition governments Between different levels of government Resource allocation Engagement with local actors 01/10/2017 Bilkent University 23

24 (iii) What are the promising interaction and cooperation modalities across levels of government that address critical linkages between policy-making on migration and policies in the area of sustainable development? Connect with local competent NGOs Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts! Many of the NGOs do not really have competence Best practices from local administration Tilos 01/10/2017 Bilkent University 24

25 (iv) What are examples of modalities of interaction and cooperation across levels of government that have shown success in enhancing public service delivery for migrant and refugee populations? Establishment of special institutions not always sufficient Establishing a Ministry of Migration Policy and appointing a Human Rights activist as minister did not deliver the expected results Dealing with red tape issues requires a new governance approach and one-stop shops This requires a new mentality and is a problem wider than the refugee crisis 01/10/2017 Bilkent University 25

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