The Frontline States’ Syrian Refugee Acceptance Policy:
A Case Study of Greek Government’s Response, 2015-2017
Keywords:
Refugee, Refugee crisis, Greek government, European Union, EuropeanizationAbstract
This article shows the Greek government’s response to the refugee crisis in 2015-2017 through the lens of Europeanization which is the concept explaining how the European Union’s members maintain their consensus and are unified within the region. In addition, Europeanization influences the behavioral guidelines of member states in various operations, including the policy implementation of each member states. The response of the Greek government as well as the factors affecting the government’s refugee policy during the crisis are analyzed.
The study reveals that there are two factors affecting government policy in Greece during the crisis: 1) Pressure conditions from the domestic situation caused by economic problems the country has endured, and the social context that has changed and affected refugees. 2) The role of member states in the European Union which affects cooperation in solving problems arising from the refugee crisis.
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