The ministry of Migration and Asylum is looking for two sites to be used as temporary reception centres in Crete, since it anticipates an increase in the flow of immigrants to the island. The issue was raised by the minister Dimitris Kairidis in a meeting at the Chania Town Hall Hall on 1st April, where he was received by the mayor Panagiotis Simandirakis together with the deputy mayors for Social Policy Eleni Zervoudaki, and Finance and Digital Policy Tasos Aloglou.
In a statement to the local media after the meeting, the mayor issued words of welcome to the minister, saying “We received the minister of Migration and Asylum, here at the Chania Town Hall, to discuss the subject of migration, an issue which is preoccupying the whole of the local community, and to coordinate our efforts so as to respond to the challenge of the times. All the bodies involved expressed their absolute commitment to cooperation so that we can cover the present needs, and we thank the ministry for responding to the primary and basic requirements of local government, which are chiefly those of financing and coordination. We notice that there has been a recent change in migrant flows, with the result that Crete is coming under greater pressure to manage an issue which is preoccupying the whole of Greece and all of Europe.”
For his part the minister of Migration and Asylum said: “I am in Crete on the orders of the Prime Minister. Crete is a first priority – the most dynamic region of our country which is facing the immigrant problem perhaps for the first time, and we are here to make ongoing preparations so that we do not have any problems. The country has long experience and has developed an effective national system for dealing with the immigrant problem. The ministry of Migration and Asylum stands beside the local communities, coordinating and cooperating with them, and we are starting from Chania, which is in the forefront of the problem.”
While noting that the numbers of immigrants arriving in Crete “are not at all large by comparison with the Eastern Aegean, or by comparison with the millions of people seeking passage to Europe from Egypt and Libya,” he said that developments in the Middle East and in African countries suggest that “if not next year, then the following year the migrant flows will be more substantial.”
Temporary reception centres needed
As regards the temporary reception centres, Mr Kairidis explained that the two centres need to be sited in Eastern and Western Crete, and will be under the supervision of the Migration ministry which will cover their costs. He also stressed that the centres will be for the temporary accommodation of the migrants until they are transferred to centres in the mainland. While no specific sites have been identified, it was proposed that they might take the form of large tented areas in the harbours at Souda or Palaiochora, where the migrants can stay until they leave for mainland Greece.
Asked about complaints that the Cretan municipalities receive insufficient funding to provide for the basic needs of the immigrants, Mr Kairidis said that until recently the ministry’s Support Fund was only available to municipalities which had immigrant accommodation centres; however, through a special article in a bill which was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers the previous Friday, it will be possible to support municipalities which do not have organised accommodation centres in managing the migrant flows.
Participating in the meeting, apart from municipal officials, were the head of the Hellenic Coastguard, Vice-Admiral (Coastguard) Giorgos Alexandrakis, Chania MPs Sevi Voloudaki and Alexandros Makrogiannakis, the Deputy Regional Governor for Chania Nikos Kalogeris, the mayor of Kantanos-Selino Antonis Perrakis and the Harbourmaster of Chania Lieutenant-Commander (Coastguard) Nektarios Giannoulakis. Representing the ministry were the General Secretary for Reception of Asylum Seekers Stellina Siapari, the director of the Reception and Identification Service Evangelos-Apostolos Konstantinou, the director of the Asylum Service Marios Kaleas and the director of the minister’s Political Office Ilias Giannoulas, with staff member Eleni Tsagaraki.
In comments to the media after the meeting, the Deputy Regional Governor for Chania Nikos Kalogeris welcomed the fact that “for the first time there has been a discussion as to how, in an organised manner and with the Ministry’s support, we can plan the reception, transfer and accommodation of these people and the financial element which is preoccupying all the Municipalities.”
Chania MP Sevi Voloudaki said that she had made the following points to the minister: “Firstly the Coastguard needs to be reinforced, as we have a certain level of staffing which cannot carry the load it is being asked to bear. Second, the police need to be reinforced at all costs … and thirdly there needs to be immediate funding of the municipalities which are bearing the weight of feeding and providing temporary shelter for the migrants.”
MP Alexandros Makrogiannakis also asked for more support for the law enforcement services, stressing that the presence of the Migration minister “is the proof of the government’s intention to deal methodically with what is a serious problem not only in our country and this island, but for the whole of Europe.”
Visit to Gavdos
Also on 1st April, the minister was in Gavdos for a meeting on the immigrant situation with local government representatives. The island has experienced an upsurge of immigrant arrivals since the beginning of the year. According to a report in Ekathimerini, while in 2023 the total number of arrivals on Crete and Gavdos was 683, a total of 1186 had arrived up to 29th March. On 12th March, 91 migrants who were found to have come from Tobruk in Libya were discovered on a beach in Gavdos, while the day before the minister’s visit, a boat carrying 74 migrants was located by the Coastguard 25 nautical miles south of Gavdos. The migrants were transferred to the Coastguard vessel and taken to the harbour at Palaiochora, from where they were expected to be transferred to the children’s camping ground at Kalathas, which has been used in the past as a makeshift reception centre for refugees.
Mr Kairidis was received by the mayor of Gavdos Lilian Stefanaki, who emphasised that “the residents of Gavdos are supporting these people from their own resources. We are a small region, with few inhabitants and a small budget. Despite all that, we have managed to cope with the situation well. We would like financial support so that we are prepared, and we will see how things are managed with a view to the tourist season, because we must not forget that Gavdos lives from tourism.”
The minister emphasised that “there must be a rapid transfer of the majority of illegally-arriving asylum seekers to Crete and from there to the interior … either to police premises or to ours,” and he added that there will be economic support to the Municipality of Gavdos to enable it to cope with the situation.
Also present was the Regional Governor of Crete Stavros Arnautakis, who said that “only through the cooperation and collaboration of all the bodies involved will we be able to find the optimum solution, for we all know that Crete has a large part of its GDP from tourism and we need to have the best result.”
(Municipal press release, Haniotika Nea)