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.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-24/.

What if AI gave you your next job offer—and landed you in another country? In this episode of States and Migration: The Human Movement Podcast, Emmanuel Comte speaks with Casey Marquette, founder of Scout, a groundbreakingAI hiring platform. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is upending traditional hiring systems, expanding access to global talent, and reshaping patterns of migration. From collapsing geographic barriers to bypassing human bias and inefficiency, this episode reveals how AI is driving a new age of labor mobility. The conversation delves into why most job applicants are ghosted—and how AI fixes that; how Scout makes recruiters 160x faster; why AI could become a major driver of international mobility; and whether AI can prevent bias—while facilitating trust.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-23/.

When migration collides with geopolitics, Europe finds itself at the centre of global turbulence. In this episode, Emmanuel Comte speaks with European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas to explore how the EU has confronted major migration crises—from the war in Syria and the displacement from Ukraine to high-stakes tensions with Belarus and Turkey. Offering exclusive insights from inside the Commission, Schinas explains the political struggles behind EU migration policy and outlines the ambitions of the new Migration Pact to reshape Europe’s approach for the future.

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-22/.

In this episode, Emmanuel Comte speaks with Eleni Mavrou—former Interior Minister of Cyprus and the first female mayor of Nicosia—to examine how migration is governed in a divided EU member state. They discuss the realities of asylum seekers, undeclared labor, housing crises, and religious tensions in the buffer zone city of Nicosia. Mavrou shares unique insights into EU-Cyprus migration policy, the role of the Green Line, and how Cyprus’s exclusion from the Schengen Area complicates its position as a gateway to Europe. With rising pressure on the Eastern Mediterranean route, this testimony sheds light on a critical yet overlooked frontier in European migration governance.

This interview was arranged 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-21/.

In this episode of States and Migration: The Human Movement Podcast, Emmanuel Comte speaks with Nicos Nouris, former Minister of Interior of Cyprus, to examine the country’s response to the ongoing migration crisis in Cyprus. Nouris provides a firsthand account of how Cyprus has managed irregular migration routes, addressed rising criminal networks, and confronted structural challenges posed by Schengen Area exclusion. The discussion explores the role of the Green Line in Cyprus—a de facto internal EU border—through which the majority of irregular arrivals occur, and considers the broader geopolitical implications of Turkey–EU relations, including alleged settlement strategies and cross-border trafficking. This revealing conversation offers rare insights into how migration, sovereignty, and European integration collide on a divided island at the crossroads of three continents.

This interview was arranged 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-20/

This episode of States and Migration delves into Discussing Pax Germanica, a new volume that reinterprets European integration through the lens of German influence. Dr. Emmanuel Comte presents the central argument discussed in the book: Germany’s historical legacies and political clout have profoundly shaped the structures of the European Union, particularly its approach to mobility and sovereignty. A highlight is Caroline de Gruyter’s chapter, which draws striking parallels between the Habsburg Empire and today’s EU, underscoring the dangers of geopolitical overreach in both political systems. The episode concludes with a call to rethink European security in light of Europe’s unique historical identity.