Vote on citizenship bill leaves one part still on the table

The bulk of a contentious new government bill which makes it easier for immigrants living in Greece to gain citizenship was voted through Parliament on Wednesday though the section relating to immigrants’ children is to be put to a vote on Thursday following calls by the neofascist Golden Dawn for the vote to be conducted by roll call.

A key section that was approved in the House on Wednesday included the creation of a service to “manage” European Union subsidies for tackling immigration and asylum applications. The service must be set up if Greece is to continue receiving funding.

Meanwhile, research carried out by the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), the results of which were made public on Wednesday, pointed to a significant outflow of immigrants in recent years due to the impact of the economic crisis on the job market. For example, of the 140,000 Albanians who returned to their homeland between 2009 and 2013, for instance, a total of 70 percent had been living in Greece.

The current increased influx of immigrants into Greece chiefly comprises people fleeing strife in Africa and the Middle East and includes large numbers of unaccompanied minors, according to experts.