Human rights groups have condemned Greece’s plans to build a 2.75km-long floating barrier off its Aegean coastline to deter migrants from Turkey after the Greek Defence Ministry put out a call for vendors to build a “Floating Protection System” on Thursday.
The $550,000 plan, aimed at deterring migrants from Turkey from entering the country, involves the creation of a barrier above the surface of the water with flashing lights to warn would-be migrant boats.
The Greek government hopes that it would stem the flow of migrants to the country following a surge in arrivals that saw 60,000 migrants arriving by sea onto Greek shores in 2019.
UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman in Greece, Boris Cheshirkhov, said that Greece has a legitimate right to manage its borders “but those that are coming across the sea with the intention of seeking asylum, safety” have a “fundamental right to do so”.
Amnesty International has criticised the plan as one that can put lives at risk. “Building a barrier, a floating wall in the sea can make it more difficult even for the rescuers to go and rescue these boats and cause problems with the people landing,” said Massimo Moratti from the human rights group.
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However, Greek islands have felt a lot of pressure as a result of the influx. One example is Moria camp on Lesbos island which was built to house 3,000 but currently holds 19,000 people in inhumane conditions. Amnesty says that the camp is overcrowded and conditions are unsafe.
The migrant influx had peaked in 2015 when 885,000 migrants had arrived in Greece. At the same time, Greece noted a huge outflow of citizens escaping the economic crisis. Eurostat, the EU statistics office, has found that the country’s numbers are in decline and will continue to diminish.
In an effort to change the demographics and offset its shrinking population, the Greek government has also rolled out a “baby bonus” program that offers families of newborns a 2,000-euro reward for every birth in a scheme valued at 180m euros per year.
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