Signing the agreement on November 1st: The Norwegian Ambassador to Greece, Mr. Sjur Larsen and Deputy Minister of Development, Mr. Thanos Moraitis. Photo: Panagiotis StolisA key priority for the EEA Grants in Greece in the coming years will be to support the country’s efforts to handle the influx of asylum seekers and migrants. The two day seminar on December 1st and 2nd was a kick off for the cooperation between the EEA countries and Greek public entities and organizations. According to the agreement signed in November by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, one third of the EEA grants to Greece are dedicated to tackling asylum and migration issues.
Special attention to the situation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland have set aside €63.4 million to Greece for 2009-2014 funding period. €20.9 million are earmarked for migration and asylum issues. The grants will be allocated into two different sub-programmes, both of them carried out in close cooperation with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). The grants will contribute to ensuring a functioning national migration management system in Greece that safeguards the right to seek asylum and gives special attention to the situation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Two projects are pre-defined involving the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The projects will address urgent needs for the reception and screening of new arrivals and for the accommodation of vulnerable groups. It would also provide assistance to voluntary returns.
Photo: Christian Halvorsen / MFA
The day before the launching, a delegation with representatives from the Norwegian Embassy in Athens, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Police visited the border areas of Evros. According to the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection, of the 128,000 illegal immigrants who crossed into Greece over the past year, 40,000 did so at the Evros border crossing.
The delegation visited Evros to get an impression and an overview of the current challenges at the Turkish border. Among other things, the delegation visited the Filakio detention center, and later on, the land border to Turkey in order to get information and updates on border control.
The EEA Financial Mechanism shall contribute to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area, and to strengthening the bilateral relations between the EEA EFTA States – Iceland, Liechenstein and Norway – and the beneficiary states. Learn more about the EEA grants