“Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First, I would like to thank the hosts for this Conference, set timely ahead of the Climate Summit in September this year.
Migration and displacement are only two of the dimensions of climate change. Specifically, we are faced with accentuated problems from irregular migration and migrant smuggling. In those terms, the Eastern Mediterranean Route continues to be the most heavily affected. The EU-Turkey Joint Statement of 2016 should remain a priority. We expect closer cooperation with the Turkish side, for a more efficient control of the flows, to bring them to a halt.
In per capita terms, Greece is the second member-state of the E.U., after Cyprus, and third in absolute numbers, after Germany and France, in asylum requests in 2018. We have:
• five hot-spots and we have established 8 pre-departure centers, both in the islands and the mainland
• 26 open reception facilities
• accommodation in apartments under the ESTIA programme
• accommodation in hotels under a scheme run the IOM, and
• dedicated facilities for unaccompanied minors
Greece has already exhausted its capacity.
What is needed:
• reception and asylum capacity are not constantly expandable. Fair sharing of responsibilities in examining asylum requests, reception and final returns is necessary
• any arrangement should respect international law provisions on search and rescue, and the responsibilities of coordination centers
• any post-disembarkation burden sharing should apply to all migration routes.
Furthermore:
• Legislative proposals to reform the Common European Asylum System are interlinked and should be viewed as a package. Yet, they advance at a differentiated pace.
Allocation must remain an integral part of the Dublin Proposal.
Until the new Dublin Regulation is adopted and effectively enters into force, urgent transitional schemes of genuine solidarity and fair responsibility toward states of first entry are needed, with mandatory allocation / relocation as an integral part.
Broad cooperation with countries of origin and transit is also needed, to address the root causes of migration, fight against smugglers and enhance returns.
Following the E.U.'s decision to reinvigorate the migration dialogue with Iraq, we expect the Union to give the same leverage to all countries in the East Med Route (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey), and the countries in the region (Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt etc.).
The progress made thus far with Libya should be consolidated, and cooperation with the Sahel countries should be developed. We should continue to work within the framework of the African Union-EU-United Nations Task Force, to evacuate migrants from Libya and accelerate resettlement.
Climate change also affects our history. Damage on the integrity of world monuments of an outstanding universal value may become irreversible.
In this respect, the Greek Government will convene in 21-22 June 2019, in Athens, an International Conference, titled “Impacts of Climate Change on Cultural Heritage: Facing the Challenge”.
The Conference will seek to raise awareness and encourage global action on this issue, contributing at the same time to the goals of the Climate Summit in September 2019.”
June 4, 2019