10 år sedan
"Some are afraid that the immigrants will change society. Many people also blame the immigrants for taking jobs away from Greeks"
Seeing Other Countries Interview: Anastasis
The economic crisis that struck the world and the EU is still very much prevalent in Greece. With an unemployment rate at 26.4 per cent (as of September 2014), Greece has the highest unemployment rate within the EU. The unemployment rate among young people is even higher at a whopping rate of 57.3 per cent. Alongside of this the far-right populism movement is making progress in the country.
Anastasis* lives in Greece and has been unemployed for a year now. We talked about his views on the future as an unemployed in Greece and the opportunities of working abroad, in another EU country. When we ask if he thinks that he benefits from Greece’s membership in the EU, he hesitates.
“I’m not sure, considering the circumstances, that it is good for Greece to be part of EU. But since we share common history cooperation in all fields, exchange of knowledge and culture is good. And of course there is the benefit of working, studying and live in another EU country more easily. But lately there has been a distinction between the northern the southern EU countries.”
Have you lived abroad yourself?
“Yes I lived in Lisbon for six months with the Erasmus program. I would go back if I could as I was very satisfied. I met a lot of people from different cultures, not only from Portugal.”
Why did you come back to Greece?
“I came back to finish my studies. I planned to leave Greece again as soon as I got my diploma, but it wasn’t that easy.”
Obstacles when moving abroad
Anastasis explains that it was hard to find someplace to live, when moving to Portugal, even though he was going abroad with the Erasmus program. He also tells us that he was looking for jobs abroad after returning to Greece, but the problems were many.
“I didn’t know how to write a CV or how to fix my portfolio. There was no place to find this information. You can find them on the Internet, but not gathered in one place and each site says different things. Just doing the research took months.” The EU offers mobility programs like Leonardo Da Vinci and Eures, but these did not work out for Anastasis. There was also the barrier of language.
“I searched for jobs in Denmark, and then Austria but I didn’t speak German. Then I looked for jobs in France and Switzerland. I thought that the big firms would offer jobs that used English as working language and that I could learn the local language while working, but I was wrong.”
The rise of the far right movement in Greece
Greece has witnessed the rise of racism and the far-right movement after the economic crisis in 2008, with the Golden Dawn Party taking place in the Parliament in 2012 and having electoral success in the latest EU Parliament election.
Anastasis tells the story of how he witnessed an attack on immigrants in the metro by members of a racist party. “No one intervened, we were all to scared. Only this one girl raised her voice. They kicked her in the stomach and she had to be sent to the hospital. I froze as it happened and I felt ashamed.”
Why do you think that racism exists in Greece?
“There are a lot of reasons. Some are afraid that the immigrants will change society. This applies mainly to the older generation who haven’t been abroad to experience the other side of the story. Many people also blame the immigrants for taking jobs away from Greeks. I don’t believe that though.”
Do you consider other EU citizens that move to Greece as immigrants?
“No. For me it depends on the reason why they moved here. If they were forced to move they are immigrants.”
Do you think that migration and mobility within EU offers something to Greece?
“Yes mobility makes exchange of cultures and knowledge possible and offers new employment opportunities.”
How do you feel about the fact that the EU citizens have the right to live and work in all EU member countries?
“I think it is very good! That is the point with the EU project.”
Anastasis tells us that his own experience of living abroad changed him in a positive direction and made him more willing to help newcomers. “I try to meet people who come from abroad and help them adjust to Greece.”
Better promotion of the EU programs
Despite all the despair there’s also some light in the tunnel: “Greece has changed for the better as well and we help each other more now, and there is more solidarity in society.”
We wrap up the interview by talking about what could make the lives better for young people in EU. “The [EU] programs should be more promoted. Most people are not aware of their existence. There should also be programs where locals can meet immigrants and create something new. I also wish that it would be easier to find a job in another country! There should be one place where you can gather all the information you need to move to another EU country.”
“Seeing Other Countries” promotes mobility within the EU, especially for young Europeans. We want to help young people discover new countries, new cultures, new languages, new people, and through this establish wider networks, combat racism, promote solidarity, and start thinking outside the limited sphere of opportunities that the confines of the nation state have to offer.
*Anastasis is called something else in reality.
