Greece Calls for Asylum Suspension Amid Migration Crisis

Greece has renewed its call for the European Union to establish an emergency mechanism allowing the temporary suspension of asylum procedures during exceptional migration crises involving the organised use of mass migration flows. The proposal featured prominently during a videoconference of EU interior and migration ministers, where Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris presented Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s proposal to his European counterparts. According to Greece’s Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the proposal would allow EU member states, in exceptional circumstances, to temporarily suspend asylum procedures and immediately return people entering illegally, while remaining fully compliant with European and international law.

Greece cites Ceuta and Evros as examples Plevris said the European Union needs a permanent institutional tool to respond to situations involving the alleged weaponisation of migration, referring to the recent migration crisis in Ceuta and the events at the Evros border in 2020. The minister also expressed Greece’s solidarity with Spain, saying Greece understands the pressures faced by frontline countries and remains in contact with Spanish authorities to provide assistance where necessary. Plevris argued that Greece’s experience at the Evros border demonstrated the importance of swift action, stating that Greek authorities prevented the organised entry of tens of thousands of migrants into the European Union in 2020.

He also criticised large-scale migrant regularisation policies adopted by some countries, saying they could encourage migrant smuggling networks and irregular migration. He said the Greek government does not support such policies. Stronger external border protection The Greek delegation called for greater protection of the EU’s external land and maritime borders, including an expanded operational role for Frontex.

According to the ministry, Greece argued that effective border management includes not only search and rescue operations but also preventing irregular arrivals while respecting international law. Plevris also highlighted cooperation with third countries as essential for reducing migration flows and increasing migrant returns. He said Greece’s cooperation with neighbouring non-EU countries had produced positive results, pointing to a more than 60% decline in migrant arrivals on the Aegean islan…

EU interior ministers on Tuesday called for tougher action against migrant smuggling networks and stronger returns policies after about 72,000 migrants entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta last week, triggering alarm across the bloc. The ministers also urged closer cooperation with countries outside the European Union to curb irregular migration and prevent a repeat of the surge, which began on Thursday at one of the bloc's two land borders with Africa, both shared with Morocco. About 75 migrants died attempting the crossing, with many drowning and others crushed in the chaos.

European Commissioner Magnus Brunner told a news conference after an emergency meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers that the influx had been fuelled by criminal smuggling networks and disinformation on social media. He declined to say whether Morocco bore any responsibility, but praised Rabat's cooperation with Spanish authorities on returns. "There is an ongoing investigation of the matter (Morocco's role in the massive break) in Spain.