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 islands during the first half of 2026, as well as encouraging early outcomes from cooperation with Libya.

The minister also stated that sea arrivals in Greece fell by more than 35% during the first seven months of 2026, attributing the reduction to what he described as a “firm but fair migration policy.”

Proposal linked to Mitsotakis Politico article

Plevris said the proposal reflects Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ recent article published in Politico, which advocates creating a European mechanism capable of responding to organised mass migration events without undermining the integrity of the asylum system.

According to the Greek government, such a mechanism would not depart from European values but would instead protect the asylum process by ensuring it remains effective during extraordinary migration crises.

The minister also supported establishing return centres in safe third countries and argued that countries receiving EU funding should cooperate more effectively in reducing irregular migration and accepting returns.

Spain describes EU talks as constructive

Following the meeting, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the discussions among EU ministers as “constructive,” saying member states recognised Madrid’s “immediate and effective” response to the migration surge in Ceuta.

Grande-Marlaska said approximately 70,000 of the 72,000 migrants who entered Ceuta had already left and stressed that the Schengen Area was never at risk because the Spanish enclave is not part of the Schengen agreement.

He also said Spanish intelligence services had received no prior warning of the mass arrivals.

“There was no report, no warning,” he said, adding that Spain responded rapidly by installing a maritime barrier off Ceuta following a July ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court.

EU rejects direct link to Spain’s citizenship policy

Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner said the European Commission does not see a direct connection between the events in Ceuta and Spain’s recent large-scale naturalisation of undocumented migrants from Latin America.

However, Brunner added that the decision to grant citizenship to those migrants was not viewed positively by the rest of the European Union, although he stopped short of linking the policy directly to the migration crisis.

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