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Greece: Maastricht & Schengen

01 September 1992

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The Greek parliament ratified the Maastricht agreement by an overwhelming majority at the end of July. The three major parties were all in favour, New Democracy (the government party), PASOK (the socialist party) and SYN (the United Left). Only the KKE, the Communist party, opposed the agreement. The voting was 286 for, 8 against, with 6 MPs absent.

The successful application of Greece to join the Schengen group of EC countries has been the subject of little discussion or parliamentary debate. However, Greece has just passed a new law on Aliens Immigrants and Refugees, the first since major change since 1929 (Law 1975/1991). This law brings Greece into line with the Schengen countries on the grounds for issuing and refusing visa and sets up "anti-clandestine immigration patrols" and lists of undesirable aliens.

On 6 November the Schengen group - Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain - are expected to formalise the decision of the 19 June meeting to put into practice the border-free internal area from 1 January 1993. The three EC members not in the Schengen group - Denmark, Ireland and the UK - are, according to these reports, going to see their citizens subject to border controls in the rest of the EC (see Statewatch vol 2, no 4).

TO BHMA 5.7.92; Hellenews 6.8.92; The new legal framework of alien immigration in Greece: a draconian contribution to Europe's unification Nicholas Sitaropoulos Immigration & nationality law and practice vol 6 no 3 1992 pp89-96.

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