Greece has taken extremist steps to respond to a sharp increase in the number of migrants arriving by sea from North Africa. Prime Minister Kyriakos Micotakis announced in parliament the suspension for 3 months of all asylum hearings for people arriving on the Greek coast by boat. This decision, referred to as ‘necessary, temporary response’, aims to halt uncontrolled inflows and send a clear signal to smugglers and possible migrants.
All migrants who have since entered Greece illegally will be arrested and detained," stressed the head of the Greek government. The suspension of asylum procedures for 3 months is intended to give Athens time to manage the situation and implement more effective border control mechanisms. Prime Minister Micotakis referred to the legal framework applied during the 2020 migration crisis at the border with Turkey, suggesting a firm approach by the authorities.
Athens' fresh strategy. What does it mean to suspend asylum?
The decision to suspend asylum hearings concerns a circumstantial group: migrants arriving by boat from North Africa. This is simply a direct consequence to the increase in traffic observed in fresh weeks, in peculiar from Libya. For the next 3 months, they will not be able to apply for asylum in a standard procedure upon arrival. Instead, as announced by the Prime Minister, they will be arrested and detained.
This temporary solution aims to discourage dangerous sea travel and disrupt smuggling networks. The Greek authorities hope that the possible of immediate arrest and the deficiency of the anticipation of a fast asylum application will prompt migrants to quit their effort to enter Europe on this road. Prime Minister Micotakis stressed that this is simply a essential step to defend the borders of Greece and the European Union.
A wave of migrants off the coast of Greece. Why abrupt growth?
Greece has seen a crucial increase in the number of migrants reaching its confederate islands in fresh days. An example is simply a Wednesday rescue off the coast of Gawdos Island close Crete, where about 520 illegal immigrants were rescued. Hundreds of more people have late landed on Crete and Gawdos, indicating a new, active migration route.
As the media reports, migrants from Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen and Pakistan are increasingly leaving east Libya. This is the consequence of smugglers to tightening control on conventional routes leading from Western Libya. East Libya, under the control of a rival administration, offers fresh opportunities for the spread of people, and its geographical location makes it easier to scope the confederate islands of Greece specified as Crete and Gawdos.
Tensions with Libya in the background. Diplomatic dispute over territorial waters?
Greece's decision to tighten migration policy coincides with serious diplomatic tensions between Athens and Libya. On Tuesday, the authorities in east Libya refused to enter the Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, as well as 2 another European ministers and the EU Commissioner for Migration. It is speculated that the reason for this refusal may have been the fact that European officials had previously visited Tripoli, the capital of Libya controlled by a rival administration in the west of the country.
In the background of these events, there is besides a dispute over the sea zones. Greece announced plans to research hydrocarbons south of Crete, which faced a decisive consequence from both Libyan administrations. Both the authorities in Tripoli and those in the east accused Athens of violating Libyan territorial waters and called for the suspension of the May tender for oil and gas exploration in the disputed waters. Although the direct link between the dispute over resources and the wave of migration is not confirmed, diplomatic tensions can affect cooperation on border control and the fight against human smuggling.
Consequences for migrants and the future of European migration policy.
The immediate consequence of Greece's decision is that migrants arriving by boat from North Africa will not be able to apply for asylum in the next 3 months and will be subject to an arrest and detention procedure. For many of them, this means not only the end of the dream of rapidly regulating position in Europe, but besides the uncertain future in detention centres.
The Athens Decision is another example of unilateral action by an EU associate State in the face of expanding migratory pressure. It highlights the challenges facing the European Union in developing a coherent and effective migration policy, especially in the context of the emergence of fresh routes and geopolitical tensions. The Greek Navy has already been ordered to deploy ships in Libya's territorial waters to inform traders that they will not decide who gets into Greece. This shows that Greece is ready to take decisive action to defend its borders.
SEO tags: Migration, Greece, Asylum, Libya, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, EU, Migration crisis
Additional title proposals:
Urgent decision by Greece. Asylum for African migrants suspended for 3 months.
Greek ‘stop’ for migrants. No more accepting asylum applications from Africa.
Hundreds of migrants on islands. Greece responds: suspends asylum for 3 months.
Continued here:
Greece suspends asylum for African migrants. No more three-month applications.
