Greece calls for tougher EU migration policy
Greece has called for a tougher European Union response to migration crises, urging the bloc to establish a special mechanism to deal with what it describes as the "instrumentalisation" of mass migration by third countries.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined the proposal in an article published by *Politico*, arguing that migration flows encouraged by state actors can amount to a hybrid threat and require a coordinated European response.
Athens is using an extraordinary meeting of EU interior and migration ministers, convened following the recent migration crisis in Spain's Ceuta enclave, to press for new emergency measures at the European level.
Greece proposes emergency asylum measures
Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris told EU counterparts that Greece is seeking a mechanism allowing the temporary suspension of asylum procedures and the swift return of migrants entering the EU illegally during exceptional situations involving organised migration pressure, while remaining in line with European and international law.
Plevris said the proposal would equip the EU with legislative tools to respond to crises similar to the attempted mass crossings at the Evros border in 2020 and the recent events in Ceuta.
He also called for stronger protection of the EU's external borders, an expanded role for Frontex, closer cooperation with neighbouring non-EU countries and increased efforts to return migrants not entitled to remain in the bloc.
According to the Greek government, the country's position is shaped by its experience during the 2020 Evros border crisis and increased migration from eastern Libya to Crete and Gavdos in 2025, when authorities introduced stricter border controls and temporarily suspended asylum applications.
Athens argues that, as one of the EU's external frontiers, Greece remains vulnerable to sudden migration surges despite a recent decline in arrivals from both Turkiye and Libya.
More than 80 migrants rescued off Crete
The policy debate comes as Greek authorities rescued more than 80 migrants in three separate operations off the southern coast of Crete within 24 hours.
According to the Coast Guard, 50 people, including two women and five children, were rescued from a boat southwest of Ierapetra early on Tuesday. In two earlier incidents, 33 migrants were rescued from another vessel south of Crete, while five others were recovered from the sea after their boat encountered difficulties.
The rescued migrants told authorities they had departed from Tobruk in eastern Libya after paying smugglers to transport them to Greece.
More than 9,500 migrants have reached Greece from Libya so far this year, accounting for just over half of the approximately 18,500 arrivals recorded nationwide, according to United Nations data.
Source:Kathimerini
