In 2019 the Greek parliament passed a legislation that enabled nationals living abroad to vote. It was a historic first step in facilitating the right to vote for Greek expats. Even though original estimates were setting registrations at 300,000 Greeks, only 22,000 exercised the right in the national elections of June 25th. The primary reason that voting registrations were well below expectations is that the qualifying criteria were excessively restrictive.

A new legislative initiative, announced by Kyriakos Mitsotakis and placed into public consultation by the Ministry of the Interior on July 10, will remove those restrictions and expand the potential pool of voters to all expatriate Greek citizens registered to vote in Greece.

That said, this is only the beginning. This initiative must be accompanied by a far-reaching plan that will embrace the global Hellenic diaspora, including expatriate Greeks not only of the first but also of the second and third generation, connecting them inextricably with the political and social life of Greece. Below we list some proposals for the essential upgrading of the role of the Hellenic Diaspora.

One of the first and most essential steps that must be taken to connect the Hellenic diaspora with Greece is its mapping: identifying the location and size of the various Hellenic diaspora communities around the world. It is indicative that today, Greek embassies and consulates have no way of knowing exactly how many Greek citizens live in their jurisdiction, let alone how many many members of the broader diaspora there are. Modern technological tools, such as social media and artificial intelligence, can be used as means in this initiative. This mapping is necessary not only because it can prove lifesaving in case of serious local and global crises, such as in the recent partial evacuation of Mariupol by Greek expatriates during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also because it enables the creation of a stronger Greek diaspora that can become a crucial factor of influence in the global stage.

For the essential interconnection of the state with the diaspora, it is necessary to strengthen the Greek presence abroad. The adequate staffing of the consular authorities with diplomatic as well as administrative staff is a crucial first step in this direction. The writers are aware that at least in the US, consular authorities are understaffed, resulting in consular staff making superhuman efforts to perform various services without avoiding delays. This fact leads to the discouragement of the Greeks in the diaspora to start time-consuming procedures, such as establishing the citizenship of their children, ultimately leading to a substantial alienation of the second generation of Greeks from the nation. At the same time, economic diplomacy through the consular authorities must be strengthened with experienced economic diplomats who will be able to exploit not only the special characteristics of local economies but also the influence of the Hellenic business diaspora in local communities.

It is also high time that the already successful digitization of government services be expanded beyond its borders. Time-consuming and costly procedures, need to be digitized and streamlined, with a citizen-centric approach. Ultimately, repatriating Greek expats starts with simplifying citizenship processes, and is further supported by effective tax incentives, as well as better communication of opportunities in Greece, not only in terms of career trajectories but also in terms of the availability of free public university education. Such a repatriation wave will not only strengthen the domestic economic but will can also as a solution to the country’s demographic challenges.

Lastly, with regards to electoral processes, it is also necessary that informational campaigns are better targeted and more effective. More specifically cultural, academic and student associations, Greek Orthodox communities and Greek schools can be used a vehicles to inform Greek expats in a timely and direct manner about the details of the expat voting legislation. Even today, many Greek citizens are discouraged from registering as expat voters since they believe that they can only vote at their local consular authorities (which, for example, in a large country like the USA are usually very far away). However the law explicitly states that if there are more than 40 registered voters in an area, the consular services will consider setting up a local voting station. Improving communication to Greek expats regarding their voting rights should be a priority for consular services.

Removing the restrictive qualifying criteria for expat voting registration will definitely lead to an increase in the number of expat voters. This legislative intervention that institutionally strengthens the Greek diaspora is welcome, but it is just the start. There is another Greece outside of Greece that must be connected with unbreakable organic ties to the Greek state.