Greece suspends asylum application processing after mass migrant arrivals from Libya

At a time of increasing concern about migration flows from North Africa, the Greek government has announced a package of measures aimed at limiting arrivals and preventing new entries, spearheaded by a three-month suspension of asylum applications for those arriving by boat from Libya.

This decision, announced in Parliament by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, comes in the wake of increased flows to Crete, which, according to the government, are directly linked to instability on Libyan soil and the breakdown of controls on the country’s coasts.

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The Greek Prime Minister, citing the precedent of Evros in 2020, characterized the move as a “temporary response to extraordinary circumstances” and highlighted the European dimension of the issue. At the same time, he announced the creation of a permanent reception and detention structure in Crete, as well as the continuation of diplomatic contacts with the administrations of Western and Eastern Libya.

In 2020, Greece faced a surge of migrants crossing the Evros River from Turkey, with indications that Turkish authorities deliberately directed or facilitated the movement of migrants toward the border.

The suspension of the examination of asylum applications is causing intense concern, both domestically and at European level. The possibility of every individual to apply for asylum is guaranteed by the 1951 Geneva Convention, European law, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Consequently, any deviation from this procedure, even in “exceptional circumstances”, requires a clear legal basis and within the limits of proportionality.

Similar measures taken in the past by other European governments – such as in Hungary or Poland – were strongly criticized by the relevant EU bodies and in several cases were deemed incompatible with the European acquis.

Furthermore, as refugee law experts point out, the mass detention of those entering without permission and the cessation of application processing may create human tragedy, without at the same time constituting an essential means of deterrence.

Efficiency questioned

The main question that arises is whether the new package of measures can actually prevent the flows or reduce the pressure on the islands and the structures of mainland Greece. According to analyses by international organizations and practical precedents:

-Stopping asylum applications does not reduce arrivals.

-People who arrive remain without protection status, but are neither returned (due to a lack of readmission agreements), nor are they moved legally, exacerbating the problems of administrative congestion.

-Mixed flows from countries like Libya often include genuine refugees, which makes the logic of horizontal suspension controversial.

The same applies to the creation of a permanent structure in Crete. This decision may respond to local needs, but it reinforces the logic of geographical isolation and detention without effective asylum procedures.

It is worth noting that Athens is simultaneously attempting to strengthen its contacts with Libya in order to prevent departures or secure bilateral arrangements. Despite these efforts, political instability in Tripoli and Benghazi limits the possibilities of implementing such agreements.

Furthermore, the EU has not yet reached a coherent readmission policy, which makes national unilateral measures ineffective in the long term and potentially contradictory to EU law.

The Greek government’s decision to suspend asylum applications for new arrivals from Libya for three months is part of a deterrence strategy, but it raises serious legal and humanitarian questions, while its actual effectiveness remains limited. If it is not accompanied by substantive European measures, bilateral readmission agreements and alternative legal migration corridors, the measure risks becoming a communication move, without practical consequences.

Caption: Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 8 July 2025. The Greek Coast Guard, in collaboration with local authorities, has begun the identification process after at least 116 migrants were spotted at dawn aboard three different boats that successively approached the southern coasts of the prefecture of Heraklion. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS