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After a decade of pain, the Greek economy is forecast to grow
nearly 3% this year, far outpacing the euro zone average of
0.8%.
But an exodus of workers during Greece's economic crisis, a
shrinking population and strict migration rules have left the
country struggling to find tens of thousands of workers to fill
vacancies in farming, tourism, construction and other sectors.
Greece will take in around 5,000 seasonal farm workers under the
2022 deal signed with Egypt.
The countries have discussed expanding the "mutually beneficial"
scheme to the Greek construction and tourism sectors, the Greek
Migration Ministry said in a statement.
Migration has long been a divisive issue in Europe, but the plan
had won broad support from employers groups keen to find
workers.
Greek Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis met Egyptian Labor
Minister Hassan Shehata in Cairo this week and said the
countries should also step up cooperation to fend off illegal
migration flows in the region.
Egyptian officials have said their country deserves recognition
for largely stopping migrants setting off from its northern
coast across the Mediterranean to Europe since 2016.
The European Union this year announced a multi-billion euro
funding package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of
a push to cut down on the number of migrants crossing over from
North Africa.
Rights groups have criticized Western support for Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power a decade ago
after leading the overthrow of Egypt's first democratically
elected leader.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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