The will of the government and the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to prioritize both development projects and the resolution of issues and problems of Evros were stressed from Alexandroupolis – at the conclusion of their current tour of the bordering prefecture – by the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Pleyris and the Deputy Ministers of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and Interior, Kostas Katsafados and Vassilis Spanakis respectively.

Plevris: Our goal is to increase returns

Our goal is to increase the number of employees.
Plevris referred to the tightening of the legislative framework regarding the return of migrants who enter the country illegally, stating that those who are refused asylum have no other option but to return, as the procedure of administrative detention and then criminal imprisonment will be initiated. Acknowledging the work and the contribution of the acrites and the special conditions under which they carry out their work, Mr. Plevris spoke of the obligation of practical support. In this direction, in the current agenda of issues discussed during his visit to the northern part of the prefecture was the decision of the Ministry to provide compensatory works in Orestiada and in villages around Phylaki.

The Minister of Immigration and Asylum described the Fylaki CST as very important as it operates in terms of a closed structure – it does not burden the local community – “and we want this to be the model of our structures as our priority is to make as many returns as possible and to limit the flows”, he said.

Specifically regarding the picture of migratory flows in the first half of the year, Mr. Plevris said that the situation is better this year on the islands of the eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese, where a drop in flows of up to 42% was recorded. As far as our land borders are concerned, there has been an increase in the same period, but again, to a point that is completely controlled.

Demographics and the desolation of the villages of Evros were among the main issues raised by residents and institutionalists to the members of the delegation, and regarding this, Mr. Plevris said that demographics cannot be solved by immigration and that there is a comprehensive plan, and demographics is at the heart of the government’s policy.

K. Katsafados: We have a responsibility towards those who guard Thermopylae

The Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Kostas Katsafados, spoke of responsibility towards all those who have made a life choice to be in Evros and under sometimes difficult and adverse conditions to guard Thermopiles. He described the prefecture as the Evros of the fence, the Evros that proves what it means to guard your borders, which tends to become an energy hub with its port upgrading the geostrategic and geopolitical role of Greece and the region. At the same time, he spoke about Evros with the problems of water scarcity, with the problem of demographics, which he said exists throughout the country, “but here it hurts more because on the one hand the problem is bigger and on the other hand because of the geographical location.”

He spoke of the necessity to implement other important projects in the prefecture, and in his capacity as chairman of the Evros Reconstruction Committee, he noted that three of the four objectives set at the last meeting of the Committee have already been achieved:

-The saving and finding of funds of about 25 million euros for projects related to the reconstruction of the prefecture.

-The coastal connection of Alexandroupolis with Piraeus, a request of the local business community, which is expected to provide better opportunities for the movement of local products

-Reopening of the Evros Pass to support tourism in the region and businesses

-Finding of funds in the order of one million euros for studies to be carried out by the DUTH on the ecosystem in the forest of Dadia.

Funding of a project for the creation of the Daddia project.

Vassilis Spanakis: More than 120 projects worth €130 million in Evros funded by the Ministry of Interior

More than 120 projects worth a total of 130 million euros in Evros are being funded by the Ministry of Interior, Deputy Interior Minister Vasilis Spanakis said, projects he said the prefecture had never seen before. He referred to the continuation of the Marietta Giannakou program for the modernization and renovation of educational institutions and the start of work in the next few weeks to upgrade the border station of Kipi. Acknowledging the fairness of the demands of residents and institutions of the prefecture, of which he became a recipient, he urged taking into account the big picture of what is happening in other countries and what has been achieved in recent years by the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in our country.