Poland in Greece

The meeting was opened by Constantinos Tsoutsoplides, Director of the EP Office in Greece, and keynote speeches were given by Sevi Voloudaki, Deputy Minister for Migration and Asylum in Greece, and Wojciech Ponikiewski, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Poland in Athens.

The meeting consisted of two thematic panels. The first panel was devoted to the role of the state and local governments in the creation and implementation of integration policies. The speakers were Evangelia Ktistaki (Head of the Directorate of Social Integration, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Greece), Bartłomiej Potocki (Head of the Department of Social Integration, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Poland), Monika Chabior (Vice-Mayor of Gdańsk for Social Development and Equal Treatment, Poland), Thanassis Chimonas (Vice Mayor of Athens on Integration of Migrants and Refugees, Greece), Tamara-Elizabeta Iskra (Integration Delegate, Head of the Integration Office, City of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland), Tobias Schläpfer (Head of Swiss Contribution Office for Greece and Cyprus, Embassy of Switzerland in Greece).

The second panel provided practical examples of integration programs implemented by international and non-governmental organizations in Poland and Greece. The panel included representatives of international and non-governmental organizations working to integrate migrants and refugees in Poland and Greece: Maria Clara Martin (UNHCR Representative in Greece), Athena Constantinou (National Project Officer, IOM Greece), Katia Roman (Executive Director of SOK Foundation), Agnieszka Kosowicz (President of the Board of Polish Migration Forum), Marilyn Polena  (General Manager at SolidarityNow), Lora Pappa (President and Founder of METAdrasi).

The seminar ended with a personal testimony from a refugee from Vietnam, who shared his story of integration into a new society in Greece. He gave a candid insight into the challenges, successes, and everyday realities of refugee life, emphasizing the importance of well-designed integration programs and cooperation between public institutions, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. The meeting was summarized by Prof. Maria Gavouneli (Greek National Commission for Human Rights).

The high turnout and active discussion during the panels indicate the growing importance of the topic of migrant integration and the need to exchange experiences and good practices. The participants unanimously agreed that the topic of integration is still under-explored, which makes further exchange of experiences particularly important.