Asylum debate shifts to the right – asylum seekers and refugees are being labelled as criminals

Athens says it wants to join EU partners in exploring migrant return hubs in “safe” African states, as arrivals from North Africa surge on Crete and Gavdos.

Britain unveils major reforms that will extend the path to settlement to 20 years, revoke automatic support for some asylum seekers, and introduce regular reviews of refugee status, drawing sharp criticism from charities and rights groups

The defendants received sentences of up to three years and were set to be transferred to correctional facilities

In the wake of a deadly shooting in Crete that left two people dead, Greece’s minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, called for tighter limits on gun ownership and condemned the island’s lingering tradition of vendettas, which he described as “a crime of the worst kind.” Speaking on MEGA TV, Plevris said that any […]

Warsaw and Budapest join Slovakia and Czech Republic in opposing mandatory asylum redistribution, refusing both migrant relocations and financial contributions under the EU Migration Pact

The unrest began when groups of young migrants staged a protest over asylum procedures and living conditions within the camp.

The European Commission has classified Spain, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus as “under migratory pressure,” paving the way for a new relocation mechanism — though Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia reject participation

Migration & Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris made the announcement after a new and stricter framework for determining if an asylum seeker is a minor was implemented in late August

A report in the Athens daily on Thursday cited Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris as declaring as much during his meeting in Berlin this week with German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt

Migration Minister Plevris also issued a circular, for distribution to asylum seekers, which states that 'If you are not a refugee and are not entitled to protection, then you have entered and are remaining in the country illegally', while warning of possible jail time

'The message will be very simple: you either work or you leave', Minister Thanos Plevris said, in detailing an upcoming draft law. Conversely, he said legal migration for guest workers will be expanded

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum confirmed that the country’s Asylum Service resumed issuing rejection decisions on Monday.

France and Spain surpass Germany as top destinations amid shifting migration patterns, while Syria sees a major decline in asylum seekers

Addressing left-wing parties, he said the framework on migration and returns would become stricter,

Minister Thanos Plevris spoke from the eastern Aegean Island of Lesbos (Lesvos), the hardest hit of Greece’s regions during the 2015 migration crisis

While the Greek government is taking unilateral steps to manage the situation, officials stress that a long-term solution must be shared across the continent.

The amendment stipulates that, for a period of three months, individuals arriving by sea from North African countries without formal authorization will not be permitted to file asylum applications.

"The humanitarian situation would be manageable if authorities had addressed the lack of reception capacity in a timely manner", said the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty

The UNHCR reminded Greece of its obligations, stating that while border control is legitimate, it must never undermine the legal right to asylum