Greece's highest administrative judge is sounding the alarm on what he calls the biggest threat to democratic institutio...

Greece's highest administrative judge is sounding the alarm on what he calls the biggest threat to democratic institutions across Europe and the United States, and it isn't migration itself, it's how politicians are using it. Michalis Pikramenos, president of Greece's Council of State and head of the association of EU supreme administrative courts, delivered the warning in a paper on the conclusions of an international conference on asylum and immigration held in Paris on October 8 and 9. Pikramenos, who also teaches law at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, argued that the political weaponization of migration is eroding public trust in governments, parliaments, courts and international organizations. Extremist movements, he said, increasingly portray these institutions as unwilling or unable to defend national borders, often pushing narratives about globalist agendas, cultural displacement and conspiracy theories. He pointed directly to the rise of Germany's AfD and the growing electoral strength of Marine Le Pen's National Rally ahead of France's 2027 presidential election as examples of where this pressure is leading. But Pikramenos did not let democratic governments off the hook. He argued that failures to manage migration transparently and effectively have opened the door for authoritarian political forces, leaving voters more receptive to movements that trade freedoms for promises of security. He identified three mounting pressures on the international asylum system: prolonged conflicts and persecution, climate-driven displacement, and widening global economic inequality. All three, he said, are testing the limits of the 1951 Refugee Convention and blurring the line between refugees and economic migrants. He called for greater international cooperation and a fairer distribution of responsibility among countries. Pikramenos also warned that the judges of tomorrow are growing up surrounded by social media, conspiracy theories and polarization, calling for what he described as epistemic independence in the courts. #Greece #Migration #Democracy