Albanian seasonal agricultural workers could go to Greece by mid-May

Albania and Greece, whose borders are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak, agreed to discuss ways to allow Albanian seasonal agricultural workers to go to Greece by mid-May.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, on Wednesday said he had spoken with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, about fighting the virus, reviving the economy and “specifically the mutual interest in helping the interaction about seasonal employment.”

Albanian laborers are usually hired by Greek farmers and agricultural companies to do seasonal field and harvest work.

“We agreed to look carefully together at the issue of the movement of seasonal workers, from Albania to Greece, in line with the mutual need to open the way to their inclusion in the season’s work around the middle of May,” Rama posted on Facebook.

Rama also thanked Mitsotakis for not acting against Albanian seasonal workers stuck in Greece because of the border shutdown and said talking to him was valuable given that more than half a million Albanians live and work there.

Additionally Greek Minister for Agricultural Development and Food, Makis Voridis expressed concerns regarding the absence of foreign labor which could ruin farmers' produce and cause a big loss to the economy.