Crystal Charles
Greece’s parliament has approved a controversial law imposing tougher measures on failed asylum seekers, following a recent surge in migrant arrivals.
Under the legislation, migrants entering from countries the European Union deems “safe” will no longer be eligible to apply for asylum in Greece. Instead, they must return home or face up to two years in detention and fines of as much as €10,000.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told lawmakers on Wednesday the law prioritizes “the rights of Greeks to protect their country” over those of individuals whose asylum claims have been rejected.
Since coming to power in 2019, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s conservative government has tightened border security, expanded a fence along the northern frontier, and stepped up sea patrols.
Greece was at the center of Europe’s 2015 migration crisis, when more than a million people fleeing conflict and poverty entered the continent. Flows have since fallen sharply, but a rise in crossings this year from Libya via Crete and Gavdos led Athens to temporarily suspend asylum applications from North Africa.
The UN refugee agency has warned that the new law risks punishing those in need of international protection and urged Greece to adopt fast-track asylum procedures to distinguish refugees from irregular migrants.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Greece of pushbacks at sea and on land — allegations Athens denies. Meanwhile, the EU’s border agency Frontex is reviewing a dozen cases of alleged violations involving Greek authorities.
