When the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, visited Germany in mid-May, it was a welcome break from the difficult time he has been having at home.

The Economic Council of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, awarded him the Ludwig Erhard Foundation Gold Medal, which gave the conservative politician the opportunity to highlight his successes in growing the Greek economy by 2.3% in 2024 and reducing unemployment by 9.5% in the same year.

However, Mitsotakis' meeting with Merz also had its downside, especially with regard to refugees and migration. In theory, the two conservative governments are in agreement: both are determined to stop irregular immigration to Europe.

Both have appointed known hard-liners as ministers responsible for migration: the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) politician Alexander Dobrindt in Berlin, and Makis Voridis, a politician with a far-right background, in Athens. And both have decided that from now on there will be strict controls on who can and cannot come to Europe.

In practice, however, the two countries have very different interests. Greece lies on the EU's external border. It is a first reception country for refugees and migrants........

© Deutsche Welle