Greece proposes to give EU countries the option in an emergency temporarily suspend the acceptance of asylum applications and move on to the accelerated return of arriving migrants.
Prime Minister’s initiative Kyriakos Mitsotakis presented by the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris at a meeting of EU Home Affairs and Migration Ministers in Luxembourg.
Athens proposes to create a special European Emergency Mechanismwhich can be activated in the event of sharp migration pressure on the external borders of the European Union.
What exactly does Greece offer?
According to the message Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylumthe new mechanism should not be used during a normal increase in the number of arrivals, but in an emergency situation.
To launch it, Athens proposes to use both quantitative and qualitative criteria.
- sharp increase in the number of arrivals across the external border of the EU;
- overload of local reception infrastructure;
- indications that the movement of people is being facilitated by a third country or organized structures;
- using the migration flow as a tool of pressure or hybrid threat.
After official recognition of this situation, the EU country could temporarily switch to a special regime.
Three main measures
The Greek proposal provides for three main instruments:
- temporary suspension of accepting asylum applications;
- expedited return procedures arrived;
- immediate connection Frontex for operational support of the external border.
It is the first point that is the most significant. Now, even during the migration crisis, European legislation provides for special and accelerated procedures, but does not give the state a simple automatic right to completely stop accepting applications for international protection.
Why Athens considers the current rules insufficient
New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum only began to be fully applied June 12, 2026.
It already has a special regime for crisis situations, mass arrivals of migrants and the so-called instrumentalization of migration by third countries.
In particular, states are allowed to extend the time limits for registering applications, expand the application of the border procedure, use accelerated return procedures and receive additional EU assistance.
However, the Greek government considers these capabilities insufficient in a situation of sudden massive influx.
“In such cases, increased border surveillance and suspension of asylum are necessary,” Plevris explained ahead of a ministerial meeting in Luxembourg.
An example was Ceuta
One of the arguments of Athens was the events in the Spanish Ceuta – an EU enclave on the North African coast.
According to data cited by Reuters, at the end of July more than 72 thousand migrants. Most subsequently returned, but about 10 thousand remained.
The Greek side believes that situations of this magnitude should be considered not only as a matter of asylum, but also as an emergency issue for the protection of the EU’s external border.
Greece has already applied a similar measure
For Greece itself, this idea is not purely theoretical.
In summer 2025after a sharp increase in the number of arrivals to Crete via the North African route, the Greek parliament introduced a special regime for three months.
WITH July 14, 2025 the ability to apply for international protection was suspended for persons arriving illegally by sea from North Africa. It was envisaged that they would be returned to their country of origin or departure without registering an application for asylum.
Later, the authorities made exceptions for certain categories of particularly vulnerable people.
He records this practice in his report. European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA).
There is support, but no decision has been made yet
The Greek Migration Ministry said the proposal received the support of a wide majority of member states. Reuters formulates the result of the negotiations more carefully and reports support for the initiative a number of EU countries.
In particular, the Minister of Migration of the Netherlands, Bart van den Brink, said that in situations like what happened in Ceuta, we should first of all talk about border managementand not about the normal asylum procedure.
However, there is no automatic right to stop accepting applications.
European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunnercommenting on this possibility, stressed that any new measures must comply with international law and fundamental human rights.
Important: Greece is only proposing to create a new pan-European mechanism. EU decisions to give countries the right to independently stop accepting asylum applications not accepted at the moment.
At the same time, the EU is tightening the return system
The discussion of the Greek initiative is taking place against the backdrop of a general tightening of European migration policy.
On October 1, the EU Council finally approved new rules for the return of foreigners who do not have a legal right to remain in the EU.
The new rules create uniform return procedures and provide for the possibility of creating so-called return hubs – return centers in third countries.
At the same time, the EU Council specifically emphasizes that procedures must be carried out in compliance with fundamental rights.
Greece, along with Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, is already part of a group of five countries that is separately discussing the practical creation of such centers outside the EU.
What could this mean for Greece?
For Greece, the adoption of such a mechanism would be especially important in the event of a repeat of a situation similar to the migration surge in Crete.
Instead of adopting a separate national law, Athens would like a pre-established European regime allowing, if certain criteria are met, to temporarily limit the normal asylum procedure, speed up returns and request Frontex’s operational intervention.
At the same time, such a mechanism would transfer part of the responsibility from the national level to the European level: the emergency of the situation would have to be confirmed according to general EU criteria.
Editorial comment. The Athens proposal shows an important change in the EU debate. The dispute is no longer just about distributing arrivals between countries and speeding up the processing of applications, but also whether there should be a point after which a mass flow is considered primarily an emergency at the external border. At the same time, it is the issue of temporary suspension of access to the asylum procedure that remains the most legally sensitive part of the Greek initiative.
Official sources
- Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum – Greek proposal at the EU Council;
- European Commission – EU Pact on Migration and Asylum rules effective from 12 June 2026;
- The Council of the EU is a functioning mechanism for migration crises and force majeure;
- EUAA – Greece suspends asylum applications for arrivals from North Africa in 2025.
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