Greece advances EU Migration Pact, backs creation of return hubs
Greece has unveiled a series of measures aimed at strengthening migration management, including reforms to migrant returns, asylum procedures and external border controls, as part of legislation implementing the European Union’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum.
A central feature of the new framework is the proposed establishment of “return hubs” in third countries, an initiative being promoted at the European level to address long-standing challenges in returning migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected.
Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said the EU’s new migration pact, together with recent European Commission initiatives on returns, provides for the creation of return hubs outside the European Union.
Under the proposal, third-country nationals whose asylum claims have been definitively rejected and whose countries of origin refuse or delay their repatriation could be transferred to these centres. The facilities would operate under agreements between the European Union and participating third countries and would comply with European and international law, Plevris told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
Talks under way with African and Asian countries
Greece is actively supporting efforts to advance the project at the European level. According to Plevris, Greece has joined Germany, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands in a coordinated initiative to promote the establishment of return hubs.
Discussions with third countries, primarily in Africa and Asia, are already under way, with the aim of concluding the first agreements in 2026 and opening the first centres in 2027. The minister said the Greek government is currently in negotiations with two African countries.
The government views the initiative as particularly important for Greece, which remains a key entry point into the European Union and is affected by secondary migration movements involving individuals who first entered the bloc through Greek territory.
“The creation of a more effective European return mechanism could complement the existing system and provide an additional innovative tool for both Greece and other member states in managing returns,” Plevris said.
Source:AMNA
