Greece to receive another €42 million from EU for two migration programs

Greece will receive an additional 42.2 million euros in funding from the European Union for two proposals – the protection of unaccompanied minors in Greece and enforcing electronic surveillance at the borders by police, the Greek Migration and Asylum Ministry said on Monday, following a decision by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

The first proposal, named ‘Pyxida’, relates to filling in the gaps noted while implementing the National Strategy for Protection of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors in Greece. It envisages five centres nationally for specialized mental health services with a focus on trauma, specialized legal assistance, targeted services to boost high school retention rates and services for unaccompanied minors who have reached adulthood (aged 18-21) and are not under a protection plan.

Pyxida also includes training and clinical supervision for professionals, chaperones during emergency health and hospitalization cases, and educational material to help minors deal with violence and gender stereotypes and to promote equality and social engagement. Pyxida will be included in the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (2021-2027), with 90% co-funding by the EU. 

The second approved proposal is called “Optimization of the repercussions of electronic surveillance through enforced communications connections – Boosting the Hellenic Police’s ability to supervise land borders.” It will cover the cost of buying 27 incident management mobile centres (MIMC) for land border patrols and surveillance of non-accessible areas.

Of the 27, 20 units will be installed in all-wheel drive (AWD) vans, and the rest in containers that can be transferred and placed in operational border areas. This program will be included in the instrument for financial support for border management and visa policy as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, with 80% co-funding by the EU. [ΑΜΝΑ]