Greece proposes suspending asylum requests in emergencies
The proposal would let EU countries halt asylum claims in exceptional surges and speed returns without individual assessments, a major shift in migration policy.
- On Thursday, Greece and four other EU nations—the Group of Five—urged the bloc to establish return hubs outside the EU and allow temporary asylum suspension during mass migration crises, citing the July surge in Ceuta.
- Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris argued that current rules fail to manage emergencies like the July surge of over 72,000 migrants into Ceuta, which he described as a security issue rather than a standard asylum matter.
- Ministers approved a new Return Regulation on Thursday, authorizing member states to establish deportation centers in non-EU countries; two European Parliament lawmakers reported Rwanda has held preliminary discussions about hosting such facilities.
- Rights groups and experts have criticized the proposal, warning that suspending asylum rights could undermine legal safeguards, though Poland and other member states signaled support for the measure.
- The Group of Five aims to identify a host country for return hubs by the end of this year, with transfers potentially beginning in 2027, as Greece pushes for inclusion in the European Emergency Response Framework.
28 Articles
28 Articles
At a Council of Ministers held on Thursday, 1 October, Athens proposed to the EU Member States an "emergency mechanism" aimed at temporarily suspending the right of asylum in the event of "instrumentalisation of migration flows".
Greece proposes that the European Union may temporarily suspend the right to apply for asylum in the event of a massive influx of migrants or when migration is used by third countries as a hybrid threat. The measure, which would allow for the acceleration of returns, is supported by several Member States and could be included in a new European emergency mechanism.
GREECE proposed to the EU the suspension of the right to asylum in crisis situations of a mass influx of migrants. The proposal is supported by part of the members, but criticized by human rights organizations.
Greece pitches suspending EU right to asylum during migration crises
A special regime would be activated in case of a rapid increase in arrivals and migrants flows used as a hybrid threat by third countries. Several EU governments seem open to the proposal, which could feature in the Commission’s new Emergency Response.
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