Heinrich Böll Stiftung - Thessaloniki Office

Recent Dossiers

DOSSIER

Agroecology: Our Roots of Change

This dossier is a collaborative effort of Heinrich Böll Foundation offices and our partner organizations worldwide to highlight the diversity of agroecological initiatives within our global network. From community-led digital innovations to public policy strategies, it explores how agroecology redefines food systems and promotes people’s agency.

Shipwrecked. Rethinking migration and asylum in Europe

The complex issue of migration and asylum, in the light of the new EU Pact, was addressed at the major international congress "Shipwrecked. Rethinking migration and asylum in Europe", which we organised in Thessaloniki in June. Over 130 experts from all over the world – activists, lawyers, journalists, academics, politicians, members of civil society organisations – came to a number of alarming conclusions. Find here texts, as well as audio and visual material from the congress.

Beyond Destruction – Rhodes, Thessaly, Evros

Photographer Ilir Tsouko and writer Anja Troelenberg travelled to the areas affected by natural disasters in the summer of 2023 and encountered a profound paradox: in the darkest moments a ray of light often illuminates who we truly are. Disasters nοt only destroy, they also reveal - forcing us to confront the reality of our society: how we fall apart or come together when faced with the unthinkable.

Feminist Migration Policy

In light of the lack of a functioning EU migration policy respecting human rights and valuing the experiences and needs of people on the move, especially of the most vulnerable and marginalised among them, the intersection of feminism and migration seems to be more relevant than ever. This dossier collects various forms of contributions at this specific intersection and thereby aims to present alternatives to current policies and discourses.

Feminist Foreign Policy

What is a feminist foreign policy? Is it just one or can it take many forms? To this day, such questions guarantee either a heated debate or profound confusion. In this analyses variété, we attempt to collect material from around the world, describing the various aspects of this narrative in an effort to go deeper, ask the tough questions and look for convincing answers. Feel free to roam and get to know better one of the most debated foreign policy narratives of our time.

Urban–rural divide

The over-concentration of population, power, resources and opportunities in large cities is a characteristic feature of Greece, which creates a clear and multilevel gap between urban and rural areas. The prolonged economic crisis and the demographic problem have put the sustainability and long-term prospects of the Greek countryside at risk. With this special dossier, the Heinrich Böll Foundation is launching a public debate on this overlooked issue, addressing it in all its complexity and presenting not only the problems but also best practices that can serve as an example for Greek cities and regions.

Media and migration

In order to better understand how the much-debated issue of migration and the role of refugees and migrants is being perceived and discussed in the societies in different countries in our region, we started looking more systematically into mainstream media coverage. This dossier is a work-in-progress project and offers some data and information on the intersection of media and migration and thereby tries to connect some dots in the region.

Investigating migration along the Balkan Route and the EU’s external borders

At Heinrich Böll Foundation we are committed to supporting transparency and an informed factual debate on migration. This dossier aims at offering an alternative view to readers by gathering independent investigations and analyses, supported by us, on the realities regarding migration along the so-called Balkan route.

Green Deal in Greece

In July 2021, the European Commission presented the Green Deal, which aims to make the European Union climate neutral by 2050. The vision of the Green Deal calls for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, economic growth disconnected from resource use, and real inclusion so that no people and no region are left behind. In the dossier we have created, you will find a wealth of material on how the European Green Deal can be tailored to the Greek context. It is a fruitful dialogue around this strategy, the opportunities as well as the challenges entailed in its implementation in Greece.

Recent Media

Agricultural crisis: causes and possible solutions in France, Germany and Greece

VIDEO

In order to better understand the agricultural crisis and the farmers' protests that took place in the winter of 2023-2024, the Thessaloniki and Paris Offices of the Heinrich Böll Foundation co-organised a public online event on 12 February 2024, where we discussed this issue with farmers and researchers from France, Germany and Greece. The discussion is recorded in this video.

‘Retrieved’: A Feminist Foreign Policy Podcast Series

PODCAST SERIES

The future of foreign policy can be better. In the five episodes of this series of podcasts, with the help of policy advisors, journalists, researchers, and politicians, we examine how feminist foreign policy can reflect the interests of all genders and often overlooked stakeholders: from peace-building and climate, to migration and defence policy, we look to examples from across the EU that show how this bold new model benefits society at large - and the challenges on the horizon.

Understanding the New Pact: How the EU is abolishing the right to asylum

VIDEO

Our partner organization Border Violence Monitoring Network recently hosted a webinar titled 'Understanding the Pact: How the EU is Abolishing the Right to Asylum', which we were happy to support. In light of the complexity and intransparency of the reform process, this webinar not only provided much needed elaborations on the proposed changes to the Common European Asylum System, but also the potential implications these would have in different EU Member States.

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Events

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Publications

10 years of Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Thessaloniki

ANNIVERSARY PUBLICATION

In June 2012, the Heinrich Böll Foundation established its office in Thessaloniki and in June 2022 completed 10 years of presence in Greece. Now we present this rich ten-year journey in an anniversary publication, which includes highlights from the hundreds of events and activities that have taken place. Through this bilingual publication, the reader will be able to get a full picture of our actions and interventions, to better understand what a political foundation is, but also to get to know the quests of contemporary political ecology and the effort to come together with the quests of Greek society itself.

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EU Borderveillance

Report

Read the full analysis of the EU's border control strategy in the following research paper titled: "EU Borderveillance: Maritime Surveillance and Third Country Agreements." by our partner Refugees=Partners The attached research assesses the measures that the EU employs to inhibit migration across the Mediterranean Sea, particularly since the Arab Spring of 2011. Drones and satellites provide the EU with imagery that informs its responses to migrants in the Mediterranean Sea

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Beyond Destruction

PUBLICATION

In 2023, Greece was hit by a series of devastating natural disasters. Wildfires and floods claimed many lives and left behind destroyed homes, devastated landscapes and entire communities plunged into loss and uncertainty. Documentary photographer Ilir Tsouko and writer Anja Troelenberg took a long field trip to the affected areas a few months after the disasters and documented not only the despair but also the hope; not only the disaster but also the resilience. The outcome of this project is, among other things, this publication.

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The social impact of energy communities in Greece