D. Kairidis: "If we don’t legalize illegal immigrants, there will be no one to pick olives."

Immediately after A. Georgiades stated that “having a labor shortage is a luxury, and illegal immigrants cannot work,” the Minister of Immigration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis spoke in the same vein, asserting that “without immigrants we risk not harvesting olives and lose 1-1.5 billion euros”!

“We must offer solutions without idealism and shouting”he said and made it clear that he would not withdraw the amendment and Greece would not change its immigration policy.

Dimitris Kairidis also praised Adonis Georgiadis: “It is worth noting that Adonis Georgiadis is an example to follow. A person who has specific and strict views, but at the same time is based on real facts, and not on ideology and populism, not on easy and loud words.”

“You are mistaken and insist on populism and lies. The amendment is intended mainly for legal migrants. People who came here legally. Albanians who came here and worked, but for some reason their permit expired and was not renewed. The vast majority of those who came here illegally leave Greece. We will present data according to which 65 thousand arrived, and 110 thousand received refugee passports and left.

There is a lot of talk about migration, careers are being built on this issue, and today careers are being built in Europe. There is also an element of legal migration, which can be carried out in a calculated manner, with conditions and rules in accordance with the priorities and needs of the economy and society, which can become a driver of economic growth. If we don’t use it, we risk slowing growth and the economy.”the minister added, citing that several MPs from the provincial parliament conveyed to him their concerns about the huge shortage of agricultural workers!

“Ierapetra has half of all the greenhouses in the country, both in Ilia and Messinia. Each greenhouse requires one worker per acre. 30 thousand workers are needed in Ierapetra”. Others say there is a risk that the olives will not be harvested and we will lose 1-1.5 billion euros out of the total value of olive oil of 3 billion euros,” he said.

Regarding the amendment, he said: “Let me make it clear that the country is not changing its immigration policy. The country has a tough policy on illegal immigration and advocates smooth migration routes. We explained this in policy statements and received a mandate from the national delegation, and I received a mandate from the Prime Minister. Two pillars of our policy: no – illegal, yes – prudent and legal. In order to curb illegal immigration, there must be legal channels of calculated immigration with conditions and rules, and the regulation we have introduced is based on this dual logic.”

“It is untrue and ridiculous that some people angrily accuse the government of weakening and opening the borders. We fought the insolent people, especially after the attempt to use the Pylos incident to convince Europeans that Europe cannot have unguarded borders. Unguarded borders are not borders. Borders must be protected in order to be borders. We’re not here to help smugglers. We are here to prevent them.”

Finally, the Minister of Immigration stated that the decree does not legalize illegal immigrants, but gives them the right to work. “It does not give any rights other than the right to work. It does not provide the right to family reunification or citizenship. It does not apply to new arrivals, but to those who arrived before 2021, and only if they have a work contract. We use provisions that have been in force since 2005 and were renewed in 2014.

This provision concerns approximately 30 thousand people. It does not apply to those who arrived in Greece illegally. Illegals are focused on Germany and Northern Europe. We are talking about people who ended up in Greece legally and for some reason were unable to renew their residence permit. These are mainly Albanians, Georgians and Filipinos. We will explain everything to everyone, especially those who are actually in Greece.”

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