Paradox in the Greek poll: Attitudes towards immigrants improve, the opposite in political relations

It is hard to imagine daily life in Greece without them; people of Albanian origin perform essential work for many daily services, especially in skilled professions. Their relationship with the majority of the Greek population has seen ups and downs.

Gone are the days when immigrants from the neighboring Adriatic country were seen as dangerous competition and often faced racial discrimination. Gone is the widespread anti-Albanian sentiment of the 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of people flocked across the southern border in search of a better future after the fall of communism.

Today, immigrants from Albania constitute the largest group of foreigners in Greece, with almost two-thirds of registered foreigners coming from Albania. Although they are the largest group with a migrant background, Greek Albanians are less visible, having adapted and integrated like no other national group in recent years and decades. One might describe this as assimilation.

"The change that many immigrants undergo even affects their personality and appearance," noted an Austrian daily newspaper in a 2014 article titled "Greece's Hidden Albanians." If the author were to write about the Albanian community in Greece today, he could title the story "The much-loved Albanians of Greece".

This opinion is supported by an opinion poll published in Athens, conducted by the Market Research Unit at the University of North Macedonia in cooperation with the ELIAMEP expert group on behalf of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The survey explored Greek attitudes towards bilateral relations and views of Albanians who have made Greece their home.

The results are surprisingly positive. Almost four out of 10 Greeks (78%) say that people from Albania are making a positive contribution to the economic development of their country. Even higher is the number of those (80%) who believe that the children of Albanian immigrants who grew up in Greece and went to school there are fully integrated into Greek society. "Their children are like us, there are no more differences", comments Professor Ioannis Armakolas from ELIAMEP, appreciating the exceptional qualities of many students with Albanian roots in his faculty.

At a time when reports of xenophobia and intolerance towards foreigners are common in Europe, the statistics from Greece stand out. Armakolas also talks about a "Greco-European success story".

These findings are worth mentioning because they contrast with Greek perceptions of political relations between Athens and Tirana. Armakolas describes this as a "paradox": While Greek attitudes towards Albanian immigrants are improving, assessments of political relations are significantly worse. Only one in five Greeks has a positive opinion of the neighboring country, while 40 percent have a negative view. The poll also shows weak opinions of North Macedonia, with Bulgaria and Serbia enjoying higher favorability ratings.

The case of the convicted mayor of Himara, Fredi Beleri, has caused new tensions recently. The government of Athens placed the local Albanian politician of Greek origin on the list for the European Parliament elections, attracting media attention and straining bilateral relations.

An intriguing result of the opinion poll is that a significant majority of Greek respondents do not share this negative assessment. Two-thirds (66%) say there are more important issues in Greek-Albanian relations than the case of the imprisoned mayor.

"The societies are ready for the improvement of relations," concludes Armakolas. "Politics should take this into account. Societies are ahead of politics."

*Dr Ronald Meinardus is a senior researcher at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)./ ekathimerini /