Here is the translation of your text into English: "Right at the border of Turkey! A support of 10,000 euros was given to those who settled, but no one wanted to go."

12.05.2025 10:42

Greece has announced that it will provide 10,000 Euros in support to citizens who settle in the Kumçiftliği, Sofulu, and Dimetoka regions to encourage internal migration to the Turkish border in Western Thrace. However, the plan has not garnered sufficient interest from the public. Local officials emphasized that migration cannot be achieved solely through financial incentives and that it needs to be supported by employment and investment.

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The Greek government has launched a remarkable internal migration policy aimed at the Meriç (Evros) region of Western Thrace, near the Turkish border. According to the plan developed to increase the population in rural municipalities close to the border line, such as Kumçiftliği (Orestiada), Sofulu (Sufli), and Dimetoka (Didimotiho), it has been announced that citizens who settle in these areas will be given a grant of 10,000 Euros.

OBJECTIVE: TO STOP POPULATION DECLINE

The main goal of the plan is to balance the declining population in border areas and to protect Greece's demographic structure in strategic regions. However, this step by the government has not received the expected interest.

THERE WAS INTEREST AT FIRST, THEN IT DECREASED

Kumçiftliği Mayor Diamantis Papadopulos stated that there was limited interest when the program was first announced, but this interest could not be sustained. He expressed that most of the applicants came from families with past connections to the region, emphasizing that this incentive alone is not sufficient: "This is not a magical solution; it needs to be supported by development policies."

"IF THERE ARE NO JOBS, NO ONE WILL COME"

Sofulu Mayor Panagiotis Kalakikos similarly pointed out the lack of economic infrastructure, stating, "People do not migrate just for financial aid. Permanent solutions such as jobs, investments, and tax incentives must be offered."

The view that more comprehensive and sustainable development strategies are needed to make migration to the region attractive has become a common consensus among local administrators.