Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-27/.What happens when nearly a million refugees arrive in a city in just eight months? In this interview, Emmanuel Comte speaks with Georgios Kaminis, Athens' mayor during the peak of the 2015 refugee crisis, as he recounts the pressure on housing, public services, and social cohesion. Kaminis shares how he managed an urban humanitarian emergency, from launching Greece’s first refugee camp to coordinating with over 70 NGOs. This episode offers unique insight into European asylum and migration policy, urban migration governance, and leading a city in a crisis.This interview was arranged by Xenia Saratsioti and edited by Andriana Lagoudes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101034403.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-26/.

In this interview, Emmanuel Comte sits down with Christos Giannakakis, Vice-President of the New Hellenic Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives (ETHEAS), to discuss the untold story of who keeps Greek agriculture alive. With over 90% of fruit and vegetable harvesting now dependent on foreign labor, this conversation dives into the pressing reality of migrant workers—many undocumented—who underpin the country’s food system. As Greek farmers grapple with labor shortages, Emmanuel and Christos explore how slow bureaucracies, restrictive immigration policies, and rising wages are reshaping the agricultural landscape. From the decline of Albanian labor to the unrealized promise of bilateral deals with Egypt, this episode reveals why Greece—and much of Europe—can no longer ignore the role of immigrant farmworkers. This is essential listening for anyone interested in food security, labor migration, rural economies, and the future of European agriculture.

This interview was arranged by Xenia Saratsioti and edited by Andriana Lagoudes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101034403.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-25/.

In this episode, Emmanuel Comte interviews Daniel Esdras—former IOM Chief in Greece and interim Migration Minister—on the dramatic shifts in migration policy, crisis management, and human smuggling. Drawing on over three decades of frontline experience, Esdras discusses the Albanian labor influx, the 2015 refugee crisis, Greece’s economic dependencies on undocumented labor, and the moral complexities of human trafficking. This episode delivers rare insights into EU-Turkey migration policy, IOM operations, and the systemic gaps in global migration governance. Essential listening for anyone exploring European border politics, humanitarian crises, or migration reform.

This interview was arranged by Xenia Saratsioti and edited by Andriana Lagoudes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101034403.