'Almost negative': Greek Defence Minister says India could be a top legal migration partner, here's why

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias says Europe’s shrinking workforce makes the Indian subcontinent a strong candidate for structured legal migration partnerships.

• Europe looks to India for legal migration to tackle ageing and workforce gaps
• Greek minister urges structured migration partnerships for mutual benefit
• India-EU Forum discussed trade, security, technology, and migration issues

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Europe’s demographic crunch is pushing policymakers to rethink migration, and India is firmly on the radar.

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Saturday that India and the wider Indian subcontinent could emerge as some of Europe’s most viable partners for legal migration, as the continent struggles with an ageing population and a shrinking workforce, according to a CNN-News18 report.

Speaking at the India‑EU Forum in New Delhi, Dendias said Europe’s near-stagnant population growth has created an urgent demand for younger workers, a gap that countries like India are well placed to fill.

“Migration is a global phenomenon. It existed in the past and will continue in the future,” Dendias said, noting that Europe’s population growth is “almost negative”.

Against this backdrop, he said the Indian subcontinent’s demographic profile makes it a strong candidate for structured migration partnerships. However, he stressed that such frameworks must be carefully designed to ensure mutual benefit for both sending and receiving countries.

“With its current population structure, the subcontinent could be one of the best choices for legal migration,” he said.

Dendias also warned that illegal migration remains a destabilising challenge for Europe, driven largely by organised human smuggling networks operating for profit.

He called for stronger international cooperation to counter what he described as a large-scale criminal enterprise, underlining the need to separate legal migration pathways from irregular and unsafe routes clearly.

Beyond migration, the Greek minister highlighted the deep historical and cultural links between India and Greece, referencing Alexander the Great’s expedition to the region and India’s presence in Greek mythology.

He said modern geopolitical and economic cooperation offers an opportunity to renew and deepen bilateral ties in a contemporary context.

The inaugural India-EU Forum, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Ananta Centre, concluded on Saturday after two days of discussions on trade, security, technology and geopolitics.

Held from February 6 to 7, the Track 1.5 dialogue brought together over 200 policymakers, industry leaders and strategic experts from India and European Union member states.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered the opening address on February 6, while Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal participated in a special session the same day. Dendias addressed a dedicated fireside chat on February 7.