The government’s migration amendment passed in Parliament with 177 votes in favor, 74 against, and 42 abstentions. Among other provisions, it includes a temporary three-month suspension of asylum application reviews for migrants arriving in Greece from North Africa, and stipulates that these individuals will be returned, without registration, to their country of origin or provenance.
Earlier, the Course of Freedom party submitted a motion of unconstitutionality—backed by SYRIZA, PASOK, New Left, and the Communist Party (KKE)—which was rejected. Meanwhile, the Greek Ombudsman, the UNHCR, and the Council of Europe have accused Greece of violation of international conventions.
“Kyriakos Mitsotakis and this government believe we have borders and sovereign territory, and we will protect it,” said Migration Minister Thanos Plevris, stressing that “what is happening right now from North Africa and Libya is an operation of invasion toward Europe.”
International organizations argue that the suspension of asylum procedures, combined with the return of migrants, violates international human rights law.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the “freezing” of asylum procedures for North African migrants as a difficult but absolutely essential decision” in an interview with Bild today.
For his part, Evangelos Venizelos, in a second public statement, denounced the government’s stance as legally vague and communication-driven, highlighting the contradictions that undermine its legal credibility.
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