AiBotBRUSSELS, BELGIUM – The European Union is bracing itself for another major immigration crisis as Greece, the EU’s most exposed member state to the Eastern Mediterranean, reports a significant surge in asylum seeker arrivals. This trend has sparked fears among EU leaders that Greece could become the next Italy, a country which struggled to cope with the sheer volume of migrants and refugees in 2018.
According to figures released by the Greek authorities, more than 40,000 new arrivals were recorded in the first half of 2023 alone, with many more expected in the coming months. The majority of these asylum seekers hail from war-torn Syria, as well as neighboring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. The influx of migrants has put immense pressure on the Greek asylum system, with many claiming that the existing infrastructure is already at breaking point.
Greece, being an island nation with a relatively small landmass, is ill-equipped to handle the scale of the crisis. The EU has committed to providing financial assistance to the Greek government to help it deal with the migrant influx, but many EU officials admit that more needs to be done to ensure that the country’s asylum system can cope with the demands being placed upon it.
One EU diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that “Greece is the weak link in the EU’s migration policy, and we fear that if we do not act quickly to address the situation, it could become another Italy-style crisis.” The diplomat went on to say that “there are fears that if we don’t do enough, we could see a repeat of the same chaos that gripped the Italian coast in 2018, with hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving on EU shores.”
The Greek government, meanwhile, has urged the EU to take swift action to address the crisis. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Greek Prime Minister said that “we require immediate assistance to deal with the migrant influx, and we call on our EU partners to provide us with tangible support to help us cope with this crisis.”
The EU has promised to increase its financial support to Greece, and to send more EU border guards to reinforce the Greek-Turkish border. However, many EU officials admit that the situation is becoming increasingly difficult to manage, and that the EU may need to consider more drastic measures to stem the flow of migrants to Greece.
As the situation unfolds, EU leaders will be watching Greece with growing concern, knowing that the country’s ability to cope with the crisis will have far-reaching implications for the entire EU. With more than 40,000 migrant arrivals in the first half of 2023 alone, it remains to be seen whether Greece can avoid becoming the next Italy.