Communities in Greece: Studying Aspects of Albanian Immigration in Greece

The ‘Communities in Greece’ programme of the Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe aims at contributing to the best possible understanding of the social integration of immigrant populations in Greece. Given the signifcant presence of the Albanian community in Greek society - the 2001 census revealed that the Albanian community made up 56% of the total immigrant population - and the lack of recent research on the progress of this community’s integration, the CDRSEE conducted a research project titled ‘Studying Aspects of Albanian Migration in Athens and Thessaloniki’. The very frst interviews with Albanian immigrants and with Greek citizens clearly showed the need to avoid limiting ourselves to the superfcial recording of statistical data and numbers, and to delve deeper in order to study the true relationship between the two groups (Albanians and Greeks) and how they should be approached. Therefore, the research explored, inter alia, aspects such as immigrant access to health institutions, insurance and education. The research team interviewed representatives of immigrant associations and non-governmental organisations, as well as citizens, so as to acquire a more spherical view of the reality experienced by immigrants from 1990 onwards, when the frst mass wave of immigrants arrived in Greece. In our efort to substantially and productively contribute to the debate on the integration of immigrants in Greek society, we have put forth proposals for the substantial improvement of immigration policies and the living conditions of immigrants at the local level.