Abstract
This paper explores the impact of dispersal policy of asylum seekers in Greece under the accommodation scheme running in the country. Combining an analysis of secondary data and the findings of field research through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in migration governance, the authors seek to identify whether there are differences in the integration prospects between the residents of the camps, which are mostly outside cities or in rural areas, and the beneficiaries of urban autonomous living. The contribution of this paper lies in that it brings into the spotlight the spatial criterion for the evaluation of integration both under the lens of rural–urban placement as well as under the lens of collective-autonomous living. To this end, it follows the integration policies and practices implemented at national and local levels and compares the access granted to people in need of international protection and their outcomes. The findings are in accordance with the literature supporting that the positive impact of urban autonomous living in socioeconomic integration usually prevails the residence in rural collective housing. However, it points out the importance of local actors in the success of integration efforts.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Apart from migrants receiving the status of international protection following a positive decision on their asylum application, Greece hosts more than 55,000 asylum seekers (Ministry of Migration and Asylum 2021a) residing in the structures offered under the official accommodation scheme including the Reception and Identification Centers, the open temporary accommodation facilities (Domes), and the ESTIA (Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation) urban accommodation scheme
“We developed a pilot project to map the skills of bilingual people, define their career orientation, prepare their CVs and help them search for available job positions
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Almost half of two million people who entered the European Union since 2014 used the Eastern Mediterranean sea route (UNHCR 2021a) The majority of those who arrived in the Greek islands until the Balkan route closed did not file for international protection and chose to move further towards another country. The goal of the Greek state through the allocation of the newcomers in the available accommodation facilities is to keep the proportion of asylum applicants to the native population in the Greek regions below 1:100 excluding the islands of North Aegean where first reception centers are located (Ministry of Migration and Asylum 2021a). The purpose of this paper is to identify the impacts of the policies and the initiatives implemented in all levels of migration governance to facilitate the socioeconomic integration of the newcomers following a spatial approach through the analysis of the accommodation scheme for the people in need of international protection. The analysis of the integration policies and local practices follows and the outcomes regarding the socioeconomic integration of the newcomers in spatial terms unfold and the main conclusions are presented
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