As the shortage of labour in the agricultural sector becomes increasingly evident across all Western European countries – and particularly in Greece – an interstate agreement that had remained inactive for several years is now moving into the implementation phase.
The deal between Greece and Egypt provides for the legal employment of up to 5,000 Egyptian seasonal farm workers in crops and agricultural work in various Greek regions.
According to Christos Giannakakis, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, the process is already underway.
As he told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, around 150 prospective workers have been registered with the Decentralised Administrations, while the relevant approvals have been sent to the Greek embassy in Cairo so that the necessary checks and applicant interviews can follow.
This initiative is not just about moving workers from one country to another. It is part of Greek agriculture’s effort to address, in an institutional and organised way, a problem that has grown significantly in recent years.
