Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001973/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Kostas Papadakis (NI), Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos (NI)
In Manolada, Greece, a shanty town housing migrant farm workers in appalling and crowded conditions has been destroyed by a devastating fire. The fire obliterated all their belongings, as well as all their necessary residency and employment documents, and left them confronted with the risk of homelessness. These migrant workers face systematic barbaric exploitation in their work, with despicably low daily wages, exhausting working hours and squalid living conditions. All this is in line with EU legislation on ‘minimum standards in the area of labour law’ and as a result of the ‘legal’ migration strategy, which promotes transnational agreements reminiscent of the slave trade.
The same situation exists in many other modern day labour ghettos, such as in Foggia, Italy or in Huelva, Spain.
Can the Commission therefore answer the following:
- 1.What is the Commission’s view of the fact that, once again, a devastating fire has exposed the appalling working, living, health and safety conditions endured by farm workers, on the basis of transnational modern slavery agreements promoted by the EU in the context of so-called ‘legal migration’, with the sole aim of safeguarding the interests and profits of monopolistic groups and large employers in agricultural production?
- 2.What view does it take of the request to use the EU Solidarity Fund and other funding programmes to immediately meet the migrant farm workers’ housing needs following the devastating fire, so that they can henceforth live and work in humane conditions, in full respect of their labour and social security rights?
Submitted: 16.5.2025