Kyriakos Mitsotakis: The solution to the migration issue cannot be the unilateral abolition of Schengen

On Thursday morning, Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed Germany’s recent actions on migration, which effectively undermine the Schengen Agreement, stating that “the answer cannot be the unilateral abolition of Schengen and passing the burden to the first-entry countries. This is why there was a reaction from countries that share land borders with Germany. The solution lies in a fair compromise for protecting the EU’s borders.”

He reminded listeners, “Since the New Democracy government was entrusted by the people, we have followed a fair and strict policy for border protection. Greece defended the European borders in Evros, which was the first step in a systematic effort to convince the entire EU that if we cannot limit the number of people crossing the borders, we won’t be able to address the issue of secondary flows. Since then, Europe has adapted to this reality,” Mitsotakis said during a Thursday morning radio interview.

This policy has resulted in reduced migrant entries at the borders and a stabilized situation on the islands. “Now, you’ll hear about Turks coming with fast-track visas. We sent a clear message that smugglers will not dictate terms,” the Prime Minister added.

Hundreds of smugglers are now in prison and will face severe penalties. While the migration issue might not concern Greeks as much, it is a significant issue for Europe, especially Germany, which has followed a more lenient migration policy.

Cooperation with Turkey is essential on this issue, and so far, it’s been satisfactory, as Turkey has received the message that weaponizing migration will not be tolerated by Greece or Europe.

“The Greek Coast Guard has saved thousands of lives at sea, with great personal sacrifice. It’s insulting to spread conspiracy theories about pushbacks. At the same time, let me be clear that active deterrence is part of the Coast Guard’s mission. When someone departs from Turkey, they must return to Turkey safely. The Coast Guard is not a reception service for illegal migrants.”

On Education, Schools, and Mobile Phones:

“Parents understand that the addiction of children to mobile phones cannot be tolerated.”

The recommendation to ban the use of mobile phones in schools existed but was never enforced. “We’re aiming to implement it with the cooperation of parents and teachers.”

“I appeal to everyone to take a step toward keeping mobile phones in bags.”

As a secondary measure, lockers in schools are being considered. “I want to give greater autonomy to parent-teacher associations to implement this if they wish. Let’s recognize that there is a major issue, not just in schools. I fear that children and teenagers are overly dependent on mobile platforms.”

“I want to play a role at the European level on this issue because I see the impact on the physical and mental health of young people.”

“We are excessively strict about what children do outside but too lenient about what they do in the digital world, where monitoring is harder.”

There are very few gaps, and the discussion about class mergers involves only a small number of classes. We did it because of the country’s unique challenges, like island geography.

“My challenge is to ensure children are educated on their role as citizens, environmental protection, and sexual education.”

“We need to make lessons more engaging, and interactive elements help with this. We have installed 30,000 interactive systems, and another 36,000 will be added by the end of the year, funded by the Recovery Fund.”

Teacher recruitment happened as quickly as possible. The housing program for teachers, doctors, and police officers is a priority, especially in areas facing housing challenges.

On Public Sector Wages and Uniformed Personnel:

“We have already increased public sector wages, and we’re moving forward with increasing nighttime allowances.”

“It’s reasonable to expect further increases next year if conditions improve.”

The increase in nighttime allowances is another step, albeit not enough, but indicative of our intentions.

“Firefighters have made an enormous effort to combat wildfires. This year, we had far fewer burnt areas despite the number of fires. Of the 4,000 fires, one got out of control, and we need to understand what happened. We can’t let that happen again.”

On Military Academies and Strengthening the Armed Forces:

“I’ve discussed this extensively with the Defense Minister, and we will soon take initiatives to make military academies more attractive. A Belharra frigate costs €1 billion, but it requires 150 specially trained personnel.”

On Environment and Development:

“We now have the tools to quickly detect illegal construction or operations. When demolition begins, don’t come asking, ‘What are you doing?’”

“Unfortunately, wild conspiracy theories circulate in this country. Greece needs cheap energy generated by wind and solar, not expensive gas. So if we want affordable electricity, we need more photovoltaic and wind energy.”

On the ‘My Home 2’ Program:

“We have secured an additional €2 billion. We are seriously considering broadening the eligibility criteria to ensure that households can secure homes with loan payments smaller than the rent for the same property.”