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SUBJECT [May 4] Greece opens borders to Albanians for seasonal workers
DATE 2020-05-04
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Photo: Greekreporter. Greece opens borders to Albanians for seasonal workers

 

On May 1, the Hellenic Parliament decided to open their borders to allow Albanian seasonal agricultural workers to go to Greece due to a shortage of seasonal workers in Greece.

 

Every year around May, Greece receives help from neighboring countries: mostly Albania, Bulgaria, and Romania on their harvest of fruits and vegetables. However, the borders between Greece and Albania have been shut since March to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Recently, Greek farmers have expressed concerns that lack of land workers would threaten the production level of this year’s agriculture.

 

On April 22, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that he had talked with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about fighting the virus, reviving the economy and “the mutual interest in helping the interaction about seasonal employment.” They agreed to consider the movement of seasonal workers from Albania to Greece. Rama thanked Mitsotakis for considering the situation of the Albanian seasonal workers in Greece because of the border shutdown.

 

After careful consideration, Makis Voridis, Minister of Agricultural Development and Food of Greece, proposed to open borders to Albania to receive up to 10,000 Albanian citizens. The proposal was voted in on May 1. According to the proposal, workers will not need a visa. From May 4 to June 20, all Greek employers interested in seasonal employees are to apply to the agricultural cooperatives of their regions.

 

 

[Sources]

ADN. (2020, May 3). 10.000 Albanian Seasonal Workers Could Go to Greece; Agreement. Retrieved from https://www.albaniandailynews.com/index.php?idm=41921&mod=2

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-albania-greece/albanian-seasonal-workers-could-go-to-greece-in-may-pm-says-idUSKCN2243DZ

 

Kokkinidis, T. (2020, May 3). Greece Opens Borders to Albanians Due to Seasonal Workers Shortage. Retrieved from https://greece.greekreporter.com/2020/05/03/greece-opens-borders-to-albanians-due-to-seasonal-workers-shortage/

 

 

BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)