Greece becomes the 19th Member State of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Vienna 18th October 2021
The number of ICMPD Member States has increased again: Greece has just become the 19th member to join ICMPD, an international organisation working to find innovative solutions to regional migration challenges.
This accession takes place after Germany (2020) and Turkey and Malta (2018) joined ICMPD in recent years.
ICMPD and Greece are already successfully cooperating in several operational projects involving, for example, integration or return. Greece also participates in several Migration Dialogues supported by ICMPD, notably the Budapest Process and the Prague Process.
The Minister of Migration and Asylum, Mr. Notis Mitarachi, stated:
“ It is with great pleasure that Greece is announcing today that is becoming the 19th member of the ICMPD, one of the most important organisations promoting the dialogue and cooperation on migration and asylum issues inside and outside Europe, among different geographic areas, including the main countries of origin and transit. Greece's accession to the ICMPD reaffirms the excellent cooperation that has been developed between Greek authorities and the Centre in recent years, as Greece has been participating in a series of regional action programs. It therefore gives us the opportunity to reinforce our country's position in the dialogue on migration policy.”
The Director General of ICMPD, Mr. Michael Spindelegger, made the following statement:
“We are very pleased to have won yet another important Member State. Greece has a key role to play in European migration. Having Greece as a member will strengthen our possibilities to respond jointly to migration challenges and work towards functioning migration systems at the regional level. Our members represent a unique group of countries highly relevant to migration – Greece is an essential part of this group. Having it as a member will further strengthen the strategic dimension of our organisation.”
More about the ICMPD:
ICMPD was founded on the initiative of Austria and Switzerland in 1993, a time when the migration reality in Europe was dramatically altered by the political changes in Eastern Europe and the Balkan conflicts. The ranks of its Member States saw their first growth in the 1990s with the addition of Hungary in 1995 and Slovenia in 1998. The Czech Republic then followed in 2001, as did Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria in 2003, Portugal and Croatia in 2004 as well as Slovakia in 2006. Romania and Serbia were the next to join in 2011 followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012 and North Macedonia in 2015. Malta and Turkey both joined in 2018 followed by Germany in 2020.
