Greece to extend Evros border fence
Greece wants to expand the fortifications on its border with Turkey on its own initiative. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed the plan last week, explaining that the 37.5-kilometre-long fence on the Evros River is to be extended by another 35 kilometres. Brussels had repeatedly rejected Athens' demands to provide EU funds for this. The opposition accuses Mitsotakis of fishing for right-wing votes.
Mitsotakis' only friends are far right
Journalist Pavlos Nerantzis complains on TVXS:
“Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks again of 'invaders' and 'hybrid threats' to justify awarding the project for the construction of a fence on the Evros to private companies; he accuses the opposition of lacking patriotism in order to stimulate the fear reflexes of part of the public and create an artificial climate of tension over the elections. But he can no longer hide his isolation in the European Union. His only allies are Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the neo-fascist Fratelli d'Italia and his far-right Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán.”
A necessary evil
Protagon stresses:
“Yes, fences won't solve the problem. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't exist. And since they do exist, it's good that they are financed with European money. Because they protect the borders of the European Union. ... A different policy is needed, a policy of strengthening and developing the immigrants' countries of origin. And yes, the rich in the West, who as colonisers have sucked the wealth out of these countries, should pay. But all this does not remove the need for the fence, which proved its usefulness [in March 2020]. ... When you know that thousands of people can cross the borders at any time, you have to take all possible protective measures.”
We need immigrants
Naftemporiki sees no point in extending the fence:
“In theory and according to the prevailing narrative, the fence on the Evros serves two purposes: to protect the country's borders and security and to safeguard the local population. In practice, immigration appears to pose no more of a threat to the security of the country and its inhabitants than it does to the rest of Europe. ... The people living in the Evros region also have far more serious reasons to worry about the (non-existent) influx of migrants. Their population has shrunk by 9.5 percent in the last ten years. ... In other words, measures to integrate immigrants would be more useful than a fence, especially since Greece has a shortfall of 200,000 workers in the agriculture, tourism and construction sectors this year.”