Allocation of EU funds and incentives for Greek graduates with a view to stopping the brain drain from Greece

According to the findings of Endeavour Greece, an international non-profit organisation supporting business enterprise, around 350 000 graduates have left Greece since January 2008 as part of a mass exodus, while a Bank of Greece report puts at over 427 000 the number of Greek graduates driven abroad by the economic crisis, heading mainly for Germany, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in a brain drain of major proportions.

According to the bank’s findings, the average proportion of Greek graduates leaving the country in 2013 was triple that of 2008 and from 2004 up to the present, the situation has been steadily worsening.

This grim scenario can be attributed to massive unemployment, Merkelian austerity, extortionate taxation and other memorandum policies imposed by the Troika in Greece.

In view of the above, can the Commission explain:

Answer given by Ms Thyssen on behalf of the Commission

The Commission supports scientists and scientific research in Greece with funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds, which are subject to shared management as well as with funds from the Horizon 2020, subject to direct management.

The European Social Fund (ESF) under the Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning Operational Programme makes available app. EUR 62 million for supporting researchers.

The European Regional Development Fund supports research, technological development and innovation with a total budget of app. EUR 936 million.

In addition, the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) makes available EUR 171.5 million matched by the same amount from the corresponding national ESF allocation. The YEI supports 110,778 young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) among which young graduates aged 25-29. The overall aim is to improve their skill levels and help them move into employment, including self-employment on a sustained basis (through apprenticeships, ICT learning and entrepreneurship measures, work experience, traineeships).

Almost EUR 20 billion under Horizon 2020 is earmarked for Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) and European Research Council (ERC) grants to attract and retain the best researchers in Europe, of which EUR 800 million has been earmarked for weaker performing countries to improve their research performance and increase their participation in EU funded R&I programmes.