It may not be covered by the media as much, but it can probably be said that everyone knows someone who knows someone who went to Greece. If the best tennis player of all time Novak Đoković chooses Greece as his new home, he will be just one of a number of nationals Of Serbia who have done so in the past few years.
Many leave for work: this is not about seasonal jobs, which Croatia has completely taken over, especially among young people. Rather, it means permanent jobs in Athens, Parga or Crete, or studying in Thessaloniki.
The standard of living is not too different from Serbia, and real estate prices at the beginning of 2024 were better than in Serbia. The "cheapest" properties on the Greek sea are located in the Olympic region. Thus, in the area of Katerini, average prices start at 1.500 per square meter and upwards. Old buildings can be bought for as little as one thousand euros per square meter, but in smaller and underdeveloped areas, reports Nova.
Real estate agents specify that prices depend a lot on the part of the city and the condition of the property, as well as that prices in Thessaloniki range from 800 euros to 6.000 and more per square meter, and that there are fewer and fewer cheap apartments. However, buying any real estate is a very long and extremely difficult process.
Close, but far enough away
Going to the West is a big step, especially for young people, but Greece offers the perfect compromise, something like Slovenia, only with a bigger coast. In addition, it has an exceptional health and educational infrastructure.
Perhaps not so much in language as in mentality, time, religion and even food, Greece is similar enough to Serbia. Therefore, it is not necessary to adapt too much to the new environment.
All this, in addition to the cooling of relations with the Serbian authorities, probably forced the best tennis player ever to start a new phase of his life in Greece.
The European trend of working from home has pushed young people even more to do their jobs with a possible view of the sea, or at least a few kilometers away from it. A great opportunity for all those who carry their work in a laptop bag.
Photo: Thanassis StavrakisYoung people moving may not just be a trend
Paperwork can be a problem.
Not everyone is Novak Djokovic so that in just a few months they can get a "Golden Visa" and start a new life in an unknown country without any problems.
Of course, hardly anything goes without complications. Work and residence permits in Greece are not so easy to obtain. With a European passport or digital nomad benefits, the options are much more realistic. Greece is not exactly bureaucratically ideal, but neither is it trying to slam the door on potential immigrants.
Pushed by the events in Serbia, it is very likely that young people from Serbia will not give up something good so easily, especially when they are separated from it by time or some paperwork.
You should be careful even when flying, and especially when undertaking some major construction projects. On the Facebook page "Grčka info", the administrator recently published a story that could serve as a warning to many people from the Balkans who have recently invested in land along the coast.
As stated, some citizens of Serbia bought plots of land near Leptokarija, on land that is not intended for construction under Greek law. Despite this, they set up makeshift camps on their land.
Greek authorities quickly located them. An inspection came to the field and ordered them to remove all objects from the plot as soon as possible, and they were additionally fined as much as 95.000 euros.
This wave of young people choosing Greece for something more than a vacation may not just be a trend. Maybe it is the answer to the time, the government and all the happenings in the country. Although Greece does not promise much, it offers enough: sea, sun, a little more peace and the possibility to live at your own pace.
