Greece has effectively granted no asylum permits to migrants arriving from Libya, as the country enforces one of the strictest migration control systems in the European Union. The new approach is most visibly embodied in the Sintiki Serres administrative detention centre, located at the foot of Mount Beles near the Promachonas border crossing, according to Protothema newspaper.
The closed-type facility, guarded by 148 border officers and surrounded by natural barriers such as the Struma River, now functions as the “pilot model” for Greece’s revamped migration policy. Migrants remain in detention until their applications for international protection are examined under an accelerated procedure introduced in recent legislation.
The centre currently hosts 758 detainees, including 552 Egyptians, 223 Bangladeshis and 3 Pakistanis, the majority of whom entered Greece from eastern Libya during the three-month suspension of asylum registration earlier this year. After the suspension was lifted on 14 October, Greece launched an intensive screening process.
Within two weeks, authorities processed hundreds of cases: 314 applicants registered, 255 interviews conducted, and 202 applications rejected at first instance. Officials say that almost all arrivals fit the profile of economic migrants travelling through Libyan routes, with no qualifying conditions for international protection.
Despite access to lawyers and NGOs being permitted, Greek authorities report that interest in legal assistance remains low — a trend attributed to the fact that most detainees do not meet asylum criteria. As a result, not a single detainee at Sintiki has received asylum status to date.
The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, led by Thanos Plevris, views administrative detention as essential to ensuring border security, preventing abuses of the asylum system, and enabling rapid returns. The broader national plan includes transforming open accommodation centres into controlled facilities, expanding border surveillance, and strengthening repatriation agreements. Greece aims to complete over 17,000 deportations and returns by 2027.
Across Europe, countries such as Denmark and Hungary have adopted similar models, arguing that strictness deters irregular migration. Athens now seeks to position itself as a frontline example of a unified EU asylum policy, especially in response to rising arrivals from Libyan coastal routes.
For the Greek government, Sintiki represents not just a detention centre — but a symbol of a new, hard-line migration doctrine designed to prevent further irregular entries while maintaining compliance with international obligations.
