Greek Minister of Migration Athanasios Plevris announced on Thursday that the government may extend its suspension of asylum applications for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa—particularly Libya—if the recent decline in arrivals is reversed.
The three-month freeze, passed by the Greek Parliament in July, temporarily halts the processing of asylum requests from migrants who enter the country via irregular maritime routes from North Africa. The policy specifically aims to reduce the number of arrivals on the island of Crete, which has seen a sharp rise in migrant landings.
In an interview with national broadcaster ERT, Plevris stated, “If we face a new wave of arrivals, we will not hesitate to extend the asylum suspension.” He added that the current measures have already resulted in a sharp drop in arrivals, with numbers falling from 2,642 migrants during the first week of July to approximately 900 in the weeks following the suspension.
While the Greek government credits the policy with easing pressure on its asylum system, it has come under criticism from human rights organizations. These groups accuse Greek authorities of unlawful “pushbacks” at sea and on land, preventing asylum seekers from accessing proper procedures—allegations that Athens denies. The EU’s border agency, Frontex, is currently reviewing a dozen potential cases of abuse linked to Greece’s border enforcement.
Libya remains one of the primary departure points for migrants seeking to reach Europe, despite the dangers of crossing the Mediterranean and the instability inside Libya itself. Greek officials fear that continued conflict and humanitarian crises in Libya and neighboring regions could trigger another large-scale migration wave.
