A basic guide on the Greek state of affairs in 2015 with financial crisis, poverty, unemployment, bureaucracy, international bailout conditions, capital restrictions, strikes, brain drain etc.
Due to the civil war and internal conflicts in Syria as well as the general unrest in the Middle Eastern and Northern African regions, the external borders of the European Union, faced an unprecedented arrival of more than one million asylum seekers and migrants who, in 2015, had fled or left their countries of origin or residence. The majority of the displacements came from three countries: Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Most commonly, the displaced persons had ~ upon arrival ~ neither identification documents nor money and held very few possessions. Greece, as an EU front line Member State, faced a unique and an unprecedented reception challenge in a local, a regional and a European context. The focus of this book is the Greek state of affairs during the arrivals of one million displaced in 2015.
It is my hope, that you will create your own viewpoints on the various topics discussed and that you will engage in informative, constructive discussions regarding one of the more complex areas of today's European reality in an international and in a national context.
H. Kristensen
The author is a European, accredited lawyer (LL.B, LL.M) with postgraduate certifications in journalism (UK), project management (Stanford University, the Stanford Center for Professional Development, the US) and teaching (the University of Cambridge, the UK). H. Kristensen has worked for prominent humanitarian actors, European governments, international non governmental organisations and international foundations. The author has extensive field experience in working with displaced from conflict and war zones in the front line of the Greek/European response.
Greece EU refugees migrants one million refugee arrivals refugees facts & figures