Mitsotakis Calls for EU Emergency Regime to Suspend Asylum Applications Amid Weaponized Migration

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called on the European Union to further tighten its migration policy by creating a dedicated “emergency regime” for cases of mass migratory pressure, including situations of weaponized migration.

In an opinion piece published by Politico on Tuesday, Mitsotakis pointed to the recent mass arrivals at the Spanish exclave of Ceuta as the latest example. He also cited earlier episodes: the 2020 surge of migrants from Turkey into Greece’s Evros region and the 2021 border crises faced by Lithuania, Poland and Latvia involving Belarus.

Key proposals from Mitsotakis

Among the measures the Greek prime minister proposed are:

• Temporary suspension of asylum applications for newly arrived persons in clearly defined exceptional situations
• Fast-track returns of those not entitled to remain
• Immediate financial and technical assistance from the EU

Mitsotakis argued that the recently approved EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is not sufficient. Its tools, he said, are designed “for situations that remain, at their core, manageable.”

“Recent events at Europe’s borders, most notably in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, are the latest reminder that migration is no longer just a humanitarian issue or management challenge. In some cases, it has become a tool of geopolitical coercion,” Mitsotakis wrote.

He stressed that in circumstances of extreme and disproportionate pressure—whether at land borders or following mass sea arrivals—the full application of standard asylum and reception systems “is not simply difficult — it is often impossible.”

Impact on Schengen and public trust

Mass arrivals, Mitsotakis warned, erode public trust and put strain on the functioning of the Schengen area.

“In clearly defined exceptional situations of extreme and disproportionate pressure… member countries should be given the option, under a dedicated EU emergency regime, to temporarily suspend asylum applications for newly arrived persons while proceeding with the swift return of those not entitled to remain, in full compliance with the EU’s legal obligations,” he stated.

“Europe has to be honest about the limits of its fast-track asylum procedures. This is not a departure from Europe’s values but a necessary adaptation to new realities.”

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