“It’s like being a firefighter,” says Adla Shashati, Head of the Greek Forum of Migrants, established in Athens in 2002. “Sometimes, even if the tree is burnt, you cannot do anything about it, just let it fall.”
Just as firefighters rush to contain blazes, Shashati deals with the challenge of spreading critical information during Greece’s intense summer heat waves. In her country, where the sun can be unforgiving, these heat waves aren’t just uncomfortable—they’re dangerous.
Vulnerable populations, especially those unfamiliar with the Greek language, might not know where to find refuge from the soaring temperatures. The Greek Forum of Migrants translates vital information into multiple languages, ensuring everyone knows where to find air-conditioned shelters and other cooling locations.
A long story of new arrivals
Shashati explains that there are two scenarios in which the forum works. “You need to be prepared for something not to happen. And if it happens, you must have the means and the tools ready to make it work,” she explains.
When challenges for the migrant communities arise, the forum speaks on their behalf and protects their rights. However, different needs coexist in a city that has seen various types of migration in the previous decades.
“In Greece, there was a large wave of migration in the 1990s, particularly from the Balkans, especially Albania, and Eastern Europe—what we now refer to as the ‘old migration’,” explains Panagiotis Psathas, Head of Department for Support and Social Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees at Athens Municipality. “These migrants have different needs and issues compared to those who arrived after 2015, including asylum seekers and refugees who continue to arrive via the islands.”
He explains that this creates a certain internal tension because, during the 1990s, there was no system in place to address the needs of these people. It was a different financial era. Now, however, there’s a significant focus on refugees, with facilities, NGOs, and EU funding. “This shift has created some friction, and one of our challenges is balancing these differing perspectives to develop a cohesive strategy.”
Due to the city’s expertise in migration and its challenges, Athens was the location of a visit by other interested cities through Eurocities’ AMIF-funded UNITES project. During this visit, the municipality picked up an idea among the suggestions from other peer cities – focus group discussions among different migrant communities. “It’s not just about the city engaging with these communities, but about bringing them together to discuss their unique needs, approaches, and what they seek from the city. Understanding these varying perspectives will help us develop strategies that support them in building new lives here,” explains Panos.
Putting out the flames to protect lives
Even though needs and stories may vary, what almost all Athens’ migrants have in common is the barrier to integration caused by having a non-Greek first language.
Shashati explains that, recently, they encountered delays in the Greek language exams, which are crucial for people applying for or renewing their residence permits. After a discussion at the council, “we issued a press release and actively pushed for the government to ensure that the exams would take place as scheduled,” she explains.
Even more importantly, in recent months, Shashati reports seeing an increase in people arriving via the islands with no place to stay. The municipality has provided them space to sleep after the Migrant Forum, being in close contact to secure this accommodation for those in need.
“Another example is when we issued a press release condemning an incident of police violence involving a 15-year-old student.” The child, who attended a municipal music school, was reportedly harassed by the police. The student’s teacher and the school informed the forum about the incident. “In response, we condemned the police’s actions and called on the responsible minister to investigate the matter, as we believe the child was targeted because he is a migrant.”
Let’s talk inclusion
“For us, integration is not always a positive process. I would prefer to speak about inclusion. It is important to be included in conversations that have to do with our rights and our obligations.” She says it’s a two-ways process. “But also our cultures, our languages, our religion should be respected.”
“Additionally, we collaborate on organising cultural and sports activities that promote social cohesion. These events are open to everyone in the community, not just migrants or Greeks, to ensure inclusivity,” Shashati explains.
An example is the football tournament Shashati’s team organised in collaboration with two other organisations, bringing together teams from various migrant communities. The municipality provided the fields, promotional material and assistance during the event. “They were actively involved, even promoting the tournament to other community members,” says Shashati.
Another challenge that Athens faces, especially in the last seven years, is that many new arrivals didn’t intend to stay in Greece—they aimed to reach countries like Germany, Sweden, or the Netherlands.
“As a result, they often feel a sense of failure and view their stay in Greece as temporary, waiting for a chance to move north. This affects their motivation to integrate and engage with the services we provide. Therefore, our task is not only to offer services but also to help them understand that they can build a new life here and that this requires both our support and their active participation.”
The council and the forum
As part of UNITES, Athens is progressing in co-design strategies. “There is a lot to do, of course, we are in the process of, let’s say a better understanding and discussion with the communities,” adds Psathas.
A significant improvement is that the municipal authority now holds Council meetings much more frequently—practically one every month. “This shift shows that we’re moving towards a more active and functional body. Instead of merely discussing, we’re now engaging in a more collaborative and productive process.” This approach, which emphasises co-design and active participation, is helping Athens drive new initiatives forward and be more effective.
“This is a new thematic area for us, and we’re working hard to continue in this direction,” he concludes.
That’s why this network of migrants and refugees is one of the six migrant associations that act as mediators between communities and the municipality in the Integration Council of the Municipality, led by the Athenian vice president of migration. “The Greek Forum of Migrants is a tactical member of our Migrant Integration Council, which is the place where we discuss with the communities,” explains Psathas.
The council gives the forum an active role in the integration process despite, says Shashati, the lack of a comprehensive integration plan by the national government. “All the migrant population is important for us. We are bringing inside the council opinions and the strategy from the bottom up.”
Apart from the Greek Forum of Migrants, the Integration Council is composed of six elected politicians representing civil society, and four representatives of migrant communities – The Greek Forum of Refugees, the United African Women’s Association, and the Albanian and the Afghan communities in Greece.
Beyond those, called tactical members, the law allows observers, which has resulted in more than 30 organisations registered to attend the council.
Coordination beyond local borders
The two major municipalities of Thessaloniki and Athens are working together on these initiatives. As the major cities in Greece, they founded the Network of Cities for Inclusion in 2018 to exchange and design strategies for social cohesion and integration of migrants and refugees all around the country. Nowadays, the network is composed of 18 municipalities.
“Having these dialogues helps because someone might give you a tool that you don’t have or you can invite people to speak to the Council or people working in the municipality, so it is useful,” says Psathas.
Exchanging with other municipalities is indeed helpful when facing similar challenges. On an international level, that’s what projects such as UNITES and CONSOLIDATE do. Athens is a partner city in both of them.
“UNITES is one more step. CONSOLIDATE will be another one.” The aim is to develop an official integration strategy by the end of 2024. UNITES helps the city work on co-design. Through CONSOLIDATE, Athens works on the labour market integration of migrants and refugees.
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This story is part of a series of articles that presents the experiences of migrants, organisations and municipalities working under Eurocities’ UNITES project, co-funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
UNITES (UrbaN InTEgration Strategies through co-design) trains and accompanies local authorities to co-design integration strategies with other stakeholders and migrants.
UNITES works with eight cities to help them develop local integration strategies through co-design with stakeholders and migrants. In planning and implementing their actions, they will receive guidance from colleagues from other cities and migrant organisations in peer workshops and peer visits to each city.
