About the city

Tilos

The island community that has welcomed migrants

Key Takeaways

  • 1

    Tilos is proof that even a very small place (800 residents) can create space for refugees, as long as migration is not perceived as a threat, but as an opportunity.

  • 2

    The quick inclusion of migrants into the local economy was a win-win situation for newcomers and locals, who needed a workforce during the summer season.

What is unique about Tilos?

Making actual participation possible: Tilos, an island of 800 residents, has shown how existing communities can welcome newcomers and include them quickly in local life. Local authorities, together with residents, have worked to create a community with refugees. In doing so, their focus has not been on solutions for a temporary stay, but on getting refugees involved in different aspects of public life: from jobs to social events.

We have said from the beginning that this is not a correct way of dealing with the refugee issue: To have people locked up in camps, isolated, to feed them but not to actually provide anything for them. We want to integrate them fully in the social life of the island. There is no other more proper way of dealing with the refugee issue.

Maria Kamma Aliferi, Mayor of Tilos

What are the key factors?

A visionary mayor in a special community: The in-take of refugees in 2015 on Tilos was the continuation of the overall progressive course followed by the island for the last 20 years. Many of the innovative schemes were spearheaded by the former mayor of Tilos, Tasos Aliferis, who was a seasonal doctor on the island and became mayor in 1995 after he decided to settle there. Overall, what makes the example of Tilos really special is not each individual initiative or project, but the overall atmosphere of community and participation of the island.

What are the greatest achievements?

Refugees as co-owners of local businesses: Tilos received more than 5,000 refugees in 2015 alone and has since maintained a welcoming and proactive approach towards inclusion. In contrast to most other communities throughout Greece, local businesses in Tilos offered jobs to refugees. In the case of the Irrina cheese factory cooperative, city authorities went one step further: They created the opportunity for refugees to become co-owners of a local business. In this sense, the welcoming of refugees in Tilos goes beyond humanitarianism, to a process of more equal participation in economic life on the island.

Political activities and advocacy beyond the city level

Tilos is a member of the Cities Network for Integration.

Member of the following networks

Download the full city report

The city report contains more information about the city’s migration and inclusion policies and selected local approaches. Report from 2021, updated in 2023.

Download Report