Greek PM Warns Against Being Too Tough on Migration

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cast doubt on suggestions the EU could process asylum applications outside the bloc — and added that Greece actually needs migrant laborers to harvest its olives.

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Under a deal struck in 2023, Tirana agreed that Rome could send up to 36,000 male migrants who have been stopped in international waters each year to two asylum-processing centers in northern Albania, where they will have their asylum claims fast-tracked and be deported if unsuccessful.

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But while cracking down on undocumented migration was crucial to leaders, Mitsotakis said the bloc was also in dire need of more workers to backfill its aging workforce.

“If you want to build a big fence, you also need a big door,” Mitsotakis said. “Who is going to pick our olives? We are a continent that is shrinking, and we all recognize that in order to maintain our productivity, we will need labor, unskilled or skilled.”