DOSSIER

Externalisation of migration & asylum

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Recent Articles
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Outsourcing surveillance: The technological side of border externalisation

FEATURE
One of the latest iterations of the border externalisation strategy includes the export of surveillance technologies and border control infrastructure. These tools – ranging from biometric databases and drone systems to border monitoring software – are used not only to track and intercept migrants but also to expand control within partner states, as senior researcher and policy expert, Antonella Napolitano notes in her article.
Antonella Napolitano
Anna Tzortzi externalization

From fast-track asylum to return hubs. The Italy-Albania deal on trial

ARTICLE
The offshore centers for migrants, operating in Albania under Italian jurisdiction, were initially supposed to extraterritorially process asylum requests and speed up returns. After a series of expected legal setbacks by judicial authorities in Italy, the Italian government revised the deal in March 2025 to repurpose the detention facilities in Albania into repatriation centers, turning them into legal gray zones and penal colonies.
Kristina Millona
Seeking asylum is a human right

Asylum bans in the European Union: How states break the law and get away with it

In July 2025, Greece took a radical, if unsurprising, decision to ban people irregularly arriving on its shores by boat from North Africa from claiming asylum. The government presented the asylum ban as a decisive measure against an increase in arrivals on the southern Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos. The new Greek asylum ban is a textbook breach of EU rules neither unprecedented nor isolated. It comes as a fresh symptom of the deteriorating state of the EU’s Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and of the rule of law that sees governments across the continent openly flout straightforward refugee protection standards, disregard the courts, and get away with it.
Minos Mouzourakis

Recent Dossiers

DOSSIER

The Greek forests in the 21st century

An inquiry in the light of conservation, local economic ecosystems and the commons

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Shipwrecked. Rethinking migration and asylum in Europe

DOSSIER
The complex issue of migration and asylum, in the light of the new EU Pact, was addressed at the major international congress "Shipwrecked. Rethinking migration and asylum in Europe", which we organised in Thessaloniki in June. Over 130 experts from all over the world – activists, lawyers, journalists, academics, politicians, members of civil society organisations – came to a number of alarming conclusions. Find here texts, as well as audio and visual material from the congress.
FFP dossier - cover image

Feminist Foreign Policy

DOSSIER
What is a feminist foreign policy? Is it just one or can it take many forms? To this day, such questions guarantee either a heated debate or profound confusion. In this analyses variété, we attempt to collect material from around the world, describing the various aspects of this narrative in an effort to go deeper, ask the tough questions and look for convincing answers. Feel free to roam and get to know better one of the most debated foreign policy narratives of our time.
Πόλη και ύπαιθρος

Urban–rural divide

DOSSIER
The over-concentration of population, power, resources and opportunities in large cities is a characteristic feature of Greece, which creates a clear and multilevel gap between urban and rural areas. The prolonged economic crisis and the demographic problem have put the sustainability and long-term prospects of the Greek countryside at risk. With this special dossier, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is launching a public debate on this overlooked issue, addressing it in all its complexity and presenting not only the problems but also best practices that can serve as an example for Greek cities and regions.

Green Deal in Greece

DOSSIER
In July 2021, the European Commission presented the Green Deal, which aims to make the European Union climate neutral by 2050. The vision of the Green Deal calls for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, economic growth disconnected from resource use, and real inclusion so that no people and no region are left behind. In the dossier we have created, you will find a wealth of material on how the European Green Deal can be tailored to the Greek context. It is a fruitful dialogue around this strategy, the opportunities as well as the challenges entailed in its implementation in Greece.
Recent Media
Thessaloniki off topic video cover

Thessaloniki, a city off topic?

VIDEO
For whom is Thessaloniki today? Could it become in the future a city that offers quality of life, employment opportunities, and prospects for personal development? How do different communities coexist? What does the degradation of public, especially green, spaces signify? These pressing questions were the focus of an open discussion about the city’s needs, the changes it requires, the challenges it currently faces, and the priorities it must set for the future to reverse the trend of people leaving or the underutilization of its potential. (available in Greek) 
‘Retrieved’: A Feminist Foreign Policy Podcast Series

‘Retrieved’: A Feminist Foreign Policy Podcast Series

PODCAST SERIES
The future of foreign policy can be better. In the five episodes of this series of podcasts, with the help of policy advisors, journalists, researchers, and politicians, we examine how feminist foreign policy can reflect the interests of all genders and often overlooked stakeholders: from peace-building and climate, to migration and defence policy, we look to examples from across the EU that show how this bold new model benefits society at large - and the challenges on the horizon.
Our Programme
Events

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Past events - Texts & media

Publications
Externalisation e-paper cover

The EU and the externalisation of migration and asylum: An analysis of potential human rights violations and legal responsibility

E-PAPER
This report uses the term “externalisation” to refer to cooperation between the EU or its member states with non-EU states (“third countries”), which aims to shift responsibility for migration and asylum governance. This shifting of responsibility has become a central feature of the European Union’s migration, asylum, and border governance. The paper examines externalisation through a legal lens, offering an analysis of potential violations of migrants’ human rights and the corresponding responsibility.
Κλιματικές συνελεύσεις έκδοση GEF EN

Citizens’ Assemblies and the European Green Deal: A Perfect (Mis)Match?

PUBLICATION
The success of the European Green Deal hinges on meeting people’s needs and making sure they are reflected in environmental policies. Citizens’ assemblies offer a way to ensure voices are heard at all levels, from local communities to EU institutions. This publication, which explores the first lessons learned from this new institution, was compiled by the Green European Foundation (GEF) and translated into Greek with the support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation - Thessaloniki Office.
The social impact of EC in Greece

The social impact of energy communities in Greece

PUBLICATION
This report presents the impact of energy communities at a time when citizen participation in the energy transition and energy democracy emerge as particularly important issues. The report aims to inspire and inform citizens and institutions so as to deepen their understanding of the special characteristics of energy communities and take initiative in creating and supporting them.
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