Work permits
An EU work permit with validity for the entire EU does not exist. Work permits are granted by the specific EU country in which the job was secured, according to the rules and requirements of a member states labor laws. Some EU countries welcome immigrants; others do not, usually due to high unemployment or nationalistic agendas, and immigration legislation reflects this.
Authorization/sponsorship to work in an EU country: Authorization to work in the EU is not EU-wide, but rather granted by the specific country in which the job was secured. This normally happens when there is a shortage of workers in a specific sector/industry of a country. After it has been determined that there are no native or other EU citizens within the country to fill this position, a company then opens it to non-EU citizens. However, few companies opt to do this because it is a heavily bureaucratic and expensive process; in fact, many companies simply leave the position unfilled.
Residence permits
EU residence permits: As with a work permit, an EU-wide residence permit does not exist. All countries have different regulations and requirements governing residence permits, but they are generally granted if you are:
working in the country (as owner/investor of a business or an employee),
related to an EU citizen,
a family member of a legal non-EU resident already in the country for many years, or
living on financial means from outside the country to support yourself without working.
EU residency
The only way to establish residency in the EU is to live here, and the only way to live here to to get a permit. Should this not fit your situation, the only way around establishing residency in an EU country is by having an ancestral link to a parent/grandparent born in a European country, which would entitle you to citizenship
All countries have unique bureaucracy and laws governing EU and non-EU citizens residing within their borders. The EU sets a minimum standard in which member states should abide, but this is not always the case and the European Commission may intervene or assess penalties.
In short, a countrys government still has control over what laws and directives are implemented (or not) and the choice to provide its residents with more or less than the minimum. Discrimination usually reflects the level or lack of enforcement of directives and laws, i.e. The more discrimination, the less likely it will be that the country ever implements EU directives. Greece and France are known for their disdain for immigrants.\
Unemployment is higher in Greece than other EU countries, and alarmingly so for university educated people between the ages of 25-35, with women (more than 50 percent), immigrants and the disabled particularly affected.
There are an estimated 1.2 million non-EU immigrants in Greece. However, less than half of those have been able to secure a permit under existing legislation, even though the majority have been here an average of 7 years and qualify for long-term EU-wide permits. The immigration reform of 2007 changed little or nothing, and Greece and France tightened border controls and immigration laws in 2008 as promised......
source: livingingreece.gr