Migration straining German-Greek relations
A recent opinion poll has revealed a significant improvement in Germany’s image in Greece over the past two years. The positive survey results largely reflect stable and mostly trouble-free bilateral relations between Athens and Berlin. The days when many Greeks blamed Berlin (and Brussels) for the austerity measures imposed during the financial crisis seem distant.
However, the new narrative of bilateral harmony is not without its imperfections. When Greek and German diplomats meet – and they do so frequently – the topic of migration is consistently on the agenda, and on this issue, their positions are often misaligned.
As migration has become a prominent issue in European domestic politics, it now also plays a critical role in foreign affairs. In German-Greek relations, the central concern involves migrants who first enter Europe through Greece but quickly seek to travel onward to Germany. They are drawn by Germany’s relatively generous social benefits, which act as a strong incentive.
According to official German government data, 16,500 individuals who had previously been granted asylum in Greece reapplied for asylum in Germany last year. Of these, German authorities granted asylum in 12,000 cases, while 158 individuals were deported back to Greece.
In more than 5,000 cases, the German government requested that Greece take back asylum-seekers under the Dublin procedure. Athens agreed to this in only 65 cases. Ultimately, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), just three migrants were returned.
Berlin is far from satisfied with this situation. The so-called “secondary migration” is a “serious bilateral issue,” according to diplomatic sources, and is a subject of discussion at the highest levels of government in both countries.
“It is important that we engage in talks with Greece on how people who have applied for asylum in Greece and then come to Germany can be returned to Greece,” said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, outlining Germany’s expectations following her recent discussions with Greek Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos in Berlin.
As migration has become a prominent issue in European domestic politics, it now also plays a critical role in foreign affairs
While it remains unclear whether Athens and Berlin have made substantial progress on this issue, both sides were eager to emphasize the “very good climate” of their talks. Panagiotopoulos urged caution: The German decision to introduce border controls has raised concerns in Athens, but, he added, “it would be wise to look at the real situation and avoid dramatizing the situation at Germany’s borders prematurely.”
Essentially, German police have extended existing practices – already applied at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, and France – to the borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark. Random checks have been carried out there recently. Refugees who express the intent to apply for asylum are still permitted to enter the country as before.
It appears that refugees whose asylum applications fall under the jurisdiction of other countries, per the Dublin procedure, are not being turned back, according to the German daily Die Tageszeitung, which concluded that the announced measures would have little impact on the number of refugees arriving in Germany.
In fact, the number of asylum applications in Germany has been declining. Between January and August 2024, the number fell by 22%, currently standing at 175,000. While, in purely numerical terms, the situation at Germany’s external borders eased well before border controls were expanded, Frontex, Europe’s border authority, reports a significant increase in illegal border crossings in the Eastern Mediterranean – particularly from Turkey to Greece. According to Frontex, more than 37,000 people crossed the border irregularly on the Eastern Mediterranean route between January and August, a 39% increase.
“Criminal networks are highly adaptable and look for new ways to maximize their profits,” says Frontex. Yet, the refugee crisis is far more than just a policing issue; it has long occupied governments at the highest level. This explains why the migration issue also featured high on the agenda at the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York. A reduction in illegal migration to Greece seems unlikely without active cooperation from Turkey.
At least on this point, Athens and Berlin are in agreement.
Dr Ronald Meinardus is a senior research fellow and the coordinator for research projects on Greek-German Relations at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).
