Mr. Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,
We are at the first meeting of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs for the purpose of passing the bill ratifying the Memorandum of Understanding between the Hellenic Republic and the Government of Australia on regulating issues related to visas and youth mobility – Work and Holiday Visa.
The present Memorandum of Understanding is an international contract that was signed on 14 May 2014, between Greece, represented by the Tourism Minister at the time, and Australia, which was represented by its Immigration and Border Protection Minister.
As we know, according to article 28, paragraph 1 of our Constitution, international contracts are an intrinsic part of domestic Greek law when they have been ratified and put into effect.
Since 1996, Australia has undertaken the initiative of proposing to many European countries the conclusion of bilateral agreements on youth mobility. Australia has signed such agreements with Ireland, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Turkey.
The Greek community of Australia has shown strong interest in the implementation of the present programme. The first official discussions started in 2011, on the initiative of the Greek Community of Melbourne and other Greek Australian organizations. However, the efforts to draw up such an agreement go back some 20 years. Indicatively, I am submitting to the minutes, for your information, a front-page article from the Greek Australian newspaper “Neos Kosmos” regarding the upcoming ratification of the agreement.
Let’s move on to the content of the agreement up for ratification.
The present agreement between Greece and Australia provides for each country to provide annually, in accordance with national legislation, up to five hundred (500) multiple-entry visas for the mobility of youth 18 to 31 years of age (Work and Holiday Visas) or temporary residence permits for a period of up to twelve (12) calendar months.
This visa does not replace the normal issuing of an entry visa. It is simply an alternative option for those who are eligible, and it is issued much more simply and through a much shorter process. Participation in the programme is limited to one (1) time, but the same visa allows the holder to enter and leave the country as many times as they wish.
The main intention of persons arriving on these visas, and the main object of the agreement, is a visit for holidays/recreation. But it also allows those who enter the country to work at any form of employment (full- or part-time, seasonal, voluntary), but without the period of employment covering the twelve months, as the purpose of the programme is the combination of work and holiday. Moreover, studies are also allowed, for a maximum of four (4) months.
The conditions set for eligibility for the Work and Holiday Visa programme are the following:
Persons must be 18 to 31 years of age, not be accompanied by dependents (e.g., children), must have adequate funds to support themselves, must not have any communicable disease, must have a tertiary degree or have completed the first two years of tertiary studies, they must not have a criminal record, they need the consent of the competent Ministry of the state from which they come, and they have to have paid the necessary fees for the application for the entry visa.
Through the ratification of the present agreement, the Greek state aims to achieve the following goals and gain the following benefits:
We aim to strengthen the ties between Greece and Australia, a country where over 375,000 persons on Greek origin reside, and the 12th largest economy in the world.
We are pursuing international experience for youth, so that they can become familiar with the manners, customs and culture, as well as the educational and work environment, of another country, which will lead to the promotion and improvement of mutual understanding among the youth of the two countries.
Additionally, through the implementation of the present agreement, we will enable young Greek Australians to come to Greece for a long stay and tighten their relations with their original homeland.
We are boosting the youth mobility of both countries and we are providing opportunities for some kind of employment, always in combination with recreation, as well as the opportunity for education and training.
Finally, this programme provides the opportunity for young people to make contacts with the other country and learn about that country’s educational and work environment, giving them a personal appreciation of any later educational or professional collaboration.
With regard to fiscal consequences, based on the report from the State General Accounting Office, the ratification of the present agreement will not incur any expenditure for the state budget, while there may be an increase in Greece’s public revenues from the visa fees paid by Australian nationals.
The steps we will proceed to following the ratification of the present agreement by Parliament are:
The immediate issuing by the Foreign Ministry and the co-competent Ministries (Tourism, Health, etc.) of the decisions and the instructions circular, which will stipulate in detail the process for implementing the provisions of the agreement.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Colleagues,
The general assessment of the agreement under ratification, beyond the above-mentioned special benefits, must be that it is extremely positive for our national interests, as it imparts fresh momentum to Greek-Australian relations, particularly if considered together with the “Hellenic Initiative” programme, which is a programme for salaried internships for young Greeks at Australian companies, as well as the “Speak Greek in March” programme, which is being carried out by the Greek communities of Australia and is aimed at promoting and encouraging Greek language learning
December 7, 2015