ELIAMEP

You can read here the article on relations between the European Union and Turkey, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published on the website News 247  on 2 December 2015.

European leaders have made a series of high-level visits to Turkey’s imposing presidential palace and issued statements strongly emphasizing Turkey’s role and Europe’s own inability to manage the refugee crisis. Such moves, in combination with the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey’s November 1 parliamentary election, have succeeded in boosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s self-perception of grandeur.

There is little doubt that Turkey has borne a substantial burden in the Syrian refugee crisis and should be supported financially, together with Lebanon and Jordan. But the agreement reached by the EU and Turkey at a summit on November 29 makes no specific reference to access to the labor market or to primary and secondary education, which would make staying in Turkey more attractive for Syrian refugees. Nor does the agreement mention the creation of hot spots on Turkish territory or a readmission process for economic migrants.

The result will be much less progress in dealing with the refugee crisis than hoped or expected. Only the end of the Syrian conflict with a political solution involving Russia and moderate elements of the current Syrian regime will relieve the refugee pressure on Europe.

Furthermore, neither side has any illusions about real progress on Turkey’s EU accession negotiations. In view of recent developments regarding the rule of law and human rights in Turkey, the best both sides should aim for is closer cooperation on foreign and security policy—and then only if there is a clearer convergence between the two sides’ objectives.

This article was published on Carnegie Europe website.

Local government authorities have a crucial role to play in pursuing immigrant integration and in managing multi-ethnic diversity. Their involvement in this policy area has rapidly grown in many European countries. In Greece, however, the extent and nature of local government interventions in this policy area have not been yet explored. This is a major gap both in academic research and policy-relevant knowledge concerning the prospects and conditions under which the integration of migrants in the Greek society can be better achieved. Towards filling this gap, the purpose of the project LOMIGRAS is twofold: (a) to investigate the local government’s involvement in the process of migrants’ integration and the extent to which it promotes, or conversely hinders their integration, and (b) to develop a usable interactive tool to monitor and assess the effects of local government in promoting migrant integration. The starting assumption of this research is that local government institutions have a profound role in promoting, or conversely hindering, immigrants’ integration, regardless of whether they explicitly assigned competences in this area.

You can find more information here.

Local government authorities have a crucial role to play in pursuing immigrant integration and in managing multi-ethnic diversity. Their involvement in this policy area has rapidly grown in many European countries. In Greece, however, the extent and nature of local government interventions in this policy area have not been yet explored. This is a major gap both in academic research and policy-relevant knowledge concerning the prospects and conditions under which the integration of migrants in the Greek society can be better achieved. Towards filling this gap, the purpose of the project LOMIGRAS is twofold: (a) to investigate the local government’s involvement in the process of migrants’ integration and the extent to which it promotes, or conversely hinders their integration, and (b) to develop a usable interactive tool to monitor and assess the effects of local government in promoting migrant integration. The starting assumption of this research is that local government institutions have a profound role in promoting, or conversely hindering, immigrants’ integration, regardless of whether they explicitly assigned competences in this area.

Based on the knowledge generated from the first research phase, the proposed project will develop a methodology and associated monitoring tool to support effective local immigrant integration in the four largest cities of Greece. Despite the fact that the EU Common Basic Principles have recognized the importance of monitoring and assessment mechanisms, a comprehensive methodology and monitoring tool for effective migrant integration at the local level has yet to be developed. The LOMIGRAS project shall for the first time establish such a tool. Specifically, the project will (a) develop a set of criteria and indicators to measure migrant integration at the local level, and (b) design a technological tool that allows stakeholders, such as local government authorities, other public agencies, and non-government organizations to apply and use this methodology in order to assess migrant integration outcomes. Overall, the project shall make an important contribution to academic research and policy-relevant knowledge both in Greece as well as other EU countries.

In sum, the project LOMIGRAS has the following objectives:

(1)               To explore the extent to which local government policies and measures mainstream integration principles, and assess their effectiveness in promoting the integration of migrant groups in Greece’s four largest cities: Athens, Thessaloniki, Herakleio and Patras.

(2)               To develop a methodology on the basis of which to monitor and assess the integration of immigrants in five policy areas in which local government in involved and/or has competences: employment, social inclusion, education, combatting discrimination, and civic participation.

(3)               To create a technological interactive tool that embeds this methodology and criteria for monitoring and assessing local migrant integration.

(4)               To present and disseminate the integration monitoring tool to local government authorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders, thereby raising awareness for the need to explicitly introduce integration objectives in the horizontal formulation and implementation of general local government policies, and

(5)               To formulate recommendations and best practices for promoting local integration policy management of migrant groups across Greece.

The research program is implemented in 2015-2016, and it is funded by the “Diversity, inequalities and social inclusion” program of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2009-2014 operated by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of Greece.

For more information, you can contact:

Professor Dia Anagnostou:  anagnostou.eliamep@gmail.com

Dr. Eda Gemi: eda@eliamep.gr

The Embassies of the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) in Athens and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) organized a seminar on ‘Security Issues in Europe’s Southern Neighborhood and in Southeast Asia: A Comparative Analysis’ on Monday, 30 November 2015, 10.00-13.00, at Divani Caravel hotel.

The programme is avalaible here.

President of ELIAMEP, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis will participate in a conferece to be organised in Rome on 13-14 November 2015 for the 50th Anniversary of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). He will speak in the first session on ‘Governing Europe: the Challenges of Differentiated Integration’. The programme of the event is available here.

In a CEPS paper Dr Filippa Chatzistavrou and Ms Sofia Michalaki analyse the European dimension of the Greek crisis during the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks administration. Their paper entitled ‘Greece as an example of “post-politics” in the eurozone’ is available here.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy – ELIAMEP is seeking a researcher-IT expert for a 5-month position (February – June 2016). The job position is part of the Research Programme LOMIGRAS: “Mainstreaming and Monitoring Immigrants’ Integration in Local Government in Greece”, which is funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of Greece through the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants).

 Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience 

• Post-graduate degree (Ph.D or MA) in computer sciences or statistics.
• Ability to use and apply social research data through the creation of relevant technological instruments
• Proven experience in the development of web-based applications.
• Proven experience in the analysis of quantitative data.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English and Greek.

Main duties

• Develop indicators and monitoring tool for assessing immigrant integration at the local level.
• Analysis of secondary quantitative data.
• Develop of web-based application on monitoring and assessment tool (MAT).
• Conduct pilot-testing of the web-based application of the MAT in the Municipality of Athens.
• Contribute to the report on a set of policy recommendations regarding the assessment of local integration tools and strategies at local, national and European levels.
• Programme’s website design and management
• Contribute to the organisation of three workshops in Athens and Thessaloniki and the final conference in Athens.
• Contribute to networking and disseminating research results of LOMIGRAS.

Deadline for application: 25 November 2015

Please submit your application electronically including cover letter and CV with «MIGR_11b.15″ in subject line, to migration@eliamep.gr.

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy – ELIAMEP will recruit a research fellow for a 5-month position (December 2016 – April 2016).

The job position is part of the Research Programme LOMIGRAS: “Mainstreaming and Monitoring Immigrants’ Integration in Local Government in Greece”, which is funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of Greece through the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants).

 Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience 

• Pοst-graduate degree (M.A. or Ph.D) in political or social sciences.
• Previous experience in management and coordination of research projects.
• Proven experience with empirical research on migration.
• Proven experience and record of publications in the field of migrant integration in Greece and in Europe.
• Experience in organising workshops, networking and disseminating research results.
• Excellent IT skills and use of multimedia.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills in English and Greek.

Main duties

• Assist to the project’s principal investigator with the management and coordination of the LOMIGRAS research project.
• Conduct interviews with key informants in various municipalities in Greece.
• Engage in the analysis of qualitative data of empirical research by municipality.
• Co-authoring reports on integration of migrants in local government.
• Involvement in the organisation of two workshops in Athens and Thessaloniki and the final conference in Athens.
• Contribute to networking and to the dissemination of research results of LOMIGRAS.

Deadline for application: 25 November 2015

Please submit your application electronically including cover letter and CV with «MIGR_11d.15″ in subject line, to migration@eliamep.gr.

You can read here the article analysing  Νew Democracy’s leadership race which was written by Professor George Pagoulatos. The commentary was published on 8 November 2015 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini and is available in Greek.

President of ELIAMEP Professor Loukas Tsoukalis spoke in a night owl session on 4 November 2015, along with Minister of State for Europe of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, David Lidington, former Legal Counsel in the Council of the European Union, Jean-Claude Piris, and Ambassador in Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU, Peter Jarvocik. Chief European Commentator of  Simon Nixon moderated the discussion.

You can find more information here.

You can read here the article on Erdogan’s political victory written by Research Fellow of ELIAMEP and Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, Bilkent University, Dr. Ioannis N. Grigoriadis. This commentary was published in Kathimerini on 7 November 2015.

In ELIAMEP Briefing Note 40/2015 Dr George Tzogopoulos analyses Sino-Greek relations in the context of the future privatisation of the Piraeus Port Authority. In particular, he considers this privatisation as critical from the perspective of China to further boost the bilateral relationship but also elaborates on main goals of Greek foreign policy in selling the remaining part of the Piraeus port.

Research Fellow of ELIAMEP and Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, Bilkent University, Dr. Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, represented ELIAMEP in the Annual Plenary Meeting and the Tenth Anniversary Conference of the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), which took place in Tunis on 31 October and 1 November 2015.

You can find the report of the event here.

Giving an interview on Greek Public Radio on 9 October 2015, Research Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Angeliki Dimitriadi discussed the refugee crisis and the role of Europe.

You can read here the article on the refugee issue, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 7 October 2015.

You can read here the article on the Greek crisis written by Professor Emeritus and Member of the Board of Trustees of ELIAMEP Theodore Couloumbis. This commentary was published on 4 October 2015 in the Sunday edition of Kathimerini. The content is available in Greek.

While migrant deaths en route to the European Union are by no means new, the level and intensity of recent tragedies is unprecedented. More than 1850 deaths were recorded January-May 2015, demanding swift action on the part of EU Member States. This project produces a timely and robust evidence base as grounds for informing policy interventions developed under emergency conditions across the Mediterranean. It does so by assessing the impact of such interventions on those that they affect most directly: migrants or refugees themselves. This project undertakes such an assessment by engaging the journeys and experiences of people migrating, asking:

• What are the impacts of policy interventions on migratory journeys and experiences across the Mediterranean?
• How do refugees or migrants negotiate complex and entwined migratory and regulatory dynamics?
• In what ways can policy be re-shaped to address migrant deaths at sea?

The project focuses on three EU island arrival points in Greece, Italy and Malta.

Qualitative interview data, both textual and visual, is produced through an interdisciplinary participatory research approach.

The project contributes: an interdisciplinary perspective on the legal and social implications of policy interventions in the region; a comparative perspective on migratory routes and methods of travel across the Mediterranean; a qualitative analysis of the journeys and experiences of refugees and migrants; and methodological insights into participatory research under emergency conditions.

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To document and map the experiences and journeys of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea by boat, focusing on key EU island arrival points in Greece, Italy, and Malta.

2. To identify the impact of emergency and longer-term policy interventions on migratory experiences and journeys across each of these sites, focusing in particular on recent developments in search and rescue, anti-smuggling, and preventative mechanisms.

3. To provide up-to-date findings and analyses that intervene in academic and public debates and that inform policy developments and practitioner responses on the basis of a methodologically and ethically sound evidence base.

4. To carry out research that engages refugees and migrants as producers of knowledge, rather than as objects of analysis.

5. To produce research that is of value to wide-ranging beneficiaries (policy-makers, practitioners, civil society groups, media and cultural outlets, and researchers), through the dissemination of diverse and accessible outputs (briefings, reports, blogs, forums, reflective articles, a visual map and exhibition, as well as journal articles) and

6. To evaluate the effectiveness of the research methodologies and dissemination strategies used throughout the course of the project.

The project was awarded to the University of Warwick and PI Associate Professor Vicki Squire (PaIS, Warwick); Co-Is Dr Dallal Stevens (Law, Warwick), Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams (PaIS, Warwick), Dr.Angeliki Dimitriadi (ELIAMEP) and Dr.Maria Pisani (University of Malta). The Research Assistant for Greece is Skerlida Agoli.

Project partners:

University of Warwick

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy

University of Malta

For more information on the project you can visit the website https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/research/clusters/irs/crossingthemed/

Or email

Angeliki Dimitriadi (angeliki@eliamep.gr)

By early September 2015, the UN announced that 7 million people had been displaced in Syria from a pre-war population of 22 million, with more than 4 million seeking safety outside Syria. Of those, 2.1 million Syrians were recorded by UNHCR in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, and 1.9 million Syrians are estimated to have fled to Turkey according to the Turkish government. It is possible that the actual numbers, especially in Jordan and Lebanon, may be higher. Although these facts have been known for some time, the sudden increase in the influx of refugees from Syria and other conflict ridden regions (Iraq, Eritrea, Afghanistan, etc.) caught Europe by surprise. With Greece and Italy as the main gates, most asylum seekers follow the so-called Balkan corridor through the Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Austria in an effort to reach Germany and other northern European countries. Countries of first entry, transit and final destination have been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to manage the refugee/migration flow.

The Schengen Agreement, one of Europe’s most tangible and widely recognizable achievements, is now faced with considerable, even existential challenges. The limited enthusiasm of several EU states (mainly in Eastern Europe but also on other parts of the continent), with the notable exceptions of Germany and Sweden (although the former already finds itself under tremendous pressure because of the large numbers of asylum seekers), to undertake any meaningful commitments in the context of a burden sharing agreement promoted by the European Commission, is once more testing the concept of a border free Europe, the limits of European solidarity and the idea of common European policies.

Although the migration debate should not become overtly securitized, there is an important security dimension as there is concern about radical individuals (jihadists) entering Europe disguised as refugees that complicates the situation even further at a time of increasing radicalization of societies and rising xenophobia and/or Islamophobia in many EU countries. Although the gradual integration of refugees/immigrants may have long-term beneficial consequences for several European countries facing the prospect of demographic decline (including Germany, but also Russia), the arrival of too many ‘guests’ in a relatively short period of time may be a significant challenge for social cohesion in a number of EU-member states. To make things even worse, the already high number of refugees and economic migrants is expected to increase in the not too distant future as large numbers of people, mainly in the developing world, may be forced to leave their homes as a result of climate change.

It is becoming, therefore, quite urgent that in addition to absolutely necessary migration management policies, the international community, and especially the EU, should focus its efforts on ending various conflicts as soon as possible. Syria – a failed state that threatens to destabilize neighboring countries, and especially Lebanon and Jordan, but also the wider region – is the obvious top priority. However, this will only be possible if Russia and Iran support an international initiative. The immediate objective should be the cessation of hostilities through the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, the creation of a provisional government for national unity with the participation of the more moderate elements of the Assad regime and the opposition and the beginning of the difficult process of reconstruction and reconciliation. To achieve this, a unanimous decision by the UN Security Council would be required. Such a decision would be the result of the immediate resumption of the Geneva-II negotiating process, with the participation of all involved parties, including both Russia and Iran.

Because the US will continue to perceive Asia as their main foreign policy priority, the EU, primarily affected by both the refugee crisis but also by general instability in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as from the continuing confrontation with Russia over Ukraine, should undertake the necessary diplomatic initiatives to prepare the groundwork for an agreement on Syria.

There are two options for reaching an understanding with Russia: (A) a big bargain and (B) find a success story, based on common interests (or common threats). In the latter case, Syria fits perfectly, as the spread of Islamic extremism is essentially a domestic concern for Russia and the two sides have good reasons for cooperation (including targeted cooperation between intelligence and law enforcement agencies). However, as aggressive and unconstructive as Russia’s policy in Ukraine has been over the past two years (following a series of miscalculations by the West), we should not lose sight of the big picture and the extremely high stakes in the case of Syria. There are no guarantees, of course, that Russia will respond to such an opening by the EU, but President Putin has on several occasions proved to be pragmatic in his cost/benefit analysis. This may be his last opportunity to save a losing game in Syria and maintain a degree of Russian presence and influence in the eastern Mediterranean.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that the additional arrivals in Europe (in comparison to 2014) have so far been “only” 230,000 people and that number has been sufficient to almost overwhelm even the most developed European country, Germany. There are several hundred thousands more Syrian refugees (in addition to people from other conflict regions) waiting to come to Europe if the circumstances allow. In addition to practical, short-term problems, the long-term consequences for social cohesion in several European countries may be difficult to imagine if the refugee flow continues unhindered.

This article was published on the website of Valdai Club.

In the first six months of 2015 more than 100,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean, arriving at the shores of southern Europe in search of protection or a better life. In the same period more than 1,800 people lost their lives, drowning as overloaded and often unseaworthy boats sank into the sea. In this context, the research project aims to better understand the dynamics of migration in the Mediterranean region by providing the first large-scale, systematic and comparative study of the backgrounds, experiences, aspirations and routes of migrants in four European countries (Italy, Greece, Malta and Turkey) who have recently arrived. The research project pushes the theoretical and conceptual boundaries of migration studies. It encourages critical reflexive dialogue and practice by opening new and inclusive spaces for questioning and challenging established ways of categorising and thinking about the Mediterranean migration crisis. In so doing, it will create opportunities for increased policy dialogue and academic collaboration between the case study countries – and across the EU more generally – around the evidence gathered.

Existing research in this area is uneven in quality and scope and rarely based on systematic and comparative data collection across countries of origin or arrival, or between types of migration (forced/voluntary, primary/secondary) or migrant groups (by nationality, gender, age, religion). The research project will be grounded within existing frameworks for understanding migrant journeys and transit, secondary, mixed and irregular migration including the political and policy contexts within which this migration takes place. At the same time, it will explore the structural determinants of migration at the meso-level, focusing on both the opportunities and constraints that shape migration (migration environment, social networks and information flows). The research project will also take account of the cognitive and behavioural processes that shape migration at the micro-level. This multi-layered comparative approach will enable the analysis of the complex and dynamic forces that underpin the very rapid changes in migration patterns currently being seen in the Mediterranean region.

The main project objectives are:

• To better understand the dynamics (determinants, drivers and infrastructures) behind the recent unprecedented levels of migration across, and loss of life in, the Mediterranean;

• To map the interaction of migrants with a multitude of non-state actors (for example ‘smugglers’ and civil society organisations) and state actors (for example navy / coastguard);

• To explore the relevant opportunities and constraints in countries of origin and refuge/transit; and

• To provide a robust evidence base to inform the development of policy responses by governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental actors.

The main activities of the project:

• The research will be undertaken at 12 sites in four countries: Italy and Malta (Central Mediterranean route) and Greece and Turkey (Eastern Mediterranean route).

• A total of 550 interviews with migrants will be conducted. The majority of these interviews will be with migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean within the preceding month, 225 each in Italy and Greece (the two countries that have received by far the largest proportion of migrants since January 2015) and 50 inMalta, a country in which migrants have effectively become ‘stuck’. A further 50 interviews will be conducted with migrants in Turkey (prospective, failed and returned) to facilitate a better understanding of the transit context.

• Around 100 interviews with governmental, non-governmental and civil society organisations will be conducted, in order to gather broader insights into the experiences and journeys of the migrants with whom they come into contact.

• The research will generate a large data set within a very short period of time (three months) which will be analysed using NVivo. This will enable the project team to draw out both qualitative and quantitative findings within and across countries, different groups of migrants and according to demographic and other variables (nationality, age, gender, religion), and to undertake a systematic thematic and comparative analysis of the factors shaping migrant journeys across the Mediterranean.

Project partners:

Coventry University, UK (Coordinator);

University of Oxford, UK;

University of Birmingham, UK;

Yasar University, Turkey;

Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), Greece;

International and European Forum of Migration Research (FIERI), Italy;

The People for Change Foundation, Malta.

Project duration 12 months (from September 2015 until August 2016). Project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the United Kingdom, under the ESRC Strategic Urgency Grants scheme.

For more information, you can contact:

Dia Anagnostou (Anagnostou.eliamep@gmail.com)

Dimitris Skleparis (skleparis.eliamep@gmail.com)