Legalising migrants bill shakes Greek centre-right government

9 months ago 27

A bill to legalise migrants brought in to fill the gaps in Greece’s labour market has upset the conservative fraction of the ruling centre-right New Democracy party (EPP), causing headaches for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The bill was announced by Mitsotakis last week, and it’s due to be voted on in the Greek parliament on Wednesday. However, the issue got heavily politicised, revealing the ruling party’s internal battle between liberals and conservatives.

The Greek government has been heavily criticised by international NGOs for its harsh stance toward migrants, often accused of conducting pushbacks at sea.

However, labour market needs mean the government must change its approach.

According to estimates, the domestic production of vegetables, fruit, olive oil and milk is in question since fields, greenhouses and livestock farms still need at least 70,000 workers.

The Greek premier, who is considered a reformist liberal and enjoys a safe majority in parliament after the latest elections last summer, now wants to put forward a bill legalising approximately 30,000 migrants who have lived and worked in the country for at least three years.

The move seems inspired by a similar regime established by Italy’s conservative Giorgia Meloni-led government.

The government noted that the bill would grant migrants the opportunity “to come out of anonymity” and to be provided with the possibility of legal employment, given the increased need for labour force in all sectors of low and medium skill of the Greek economy.

“The provision satisfies the request of the productive entities of the Greek economy in the direction of the admission of additional workforce”, the government explained.

However, the bill was not perceived positively by the conservative faction of the ruling party, namely former premier Antonis Samaras, who asked for the bill to be withdrawn.

“In practice, it legalises all illegal immigrants who have been in Greece for three years […] Greece will, in essence, attract illegal immigrants”, Samaras noted.

Samaras, who is considered an influential figure within New Democracy, has always opposed the “liberal” fraction, especially on foreign matters such as relations with Turkey and the name-change deal with North Macedonia.

However, it’s unclear to what extent he can affect this vote, given that Mitsotakis fully controls the party.

Samaras left the Greek House on Sunday when Mitsotakis took the floor to talk about the country’s annual budget in a sign of growing tensions.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com)