Returns, speeding up asylum procedures and border protection are interlinked pillars, according to Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris.
A number of interventions concerning the return of irregular immigrants, the asylum process, European Union and the management of migration flows, introduces the bill of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum with which Greece incorporates the new Asylum Pact and the EU migration.A central element of the new framework are the so-called “return hubs” which are promoted at European level as a new tool to address the difficulties encountered in the return of rejected asylum seekers.
As the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, explains to APPE-MPE, the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum, as well as the recent initiatives of the European Commission in the field of returns, provide for the possibility of creating so-called “return hubs”. These would be centres that could operate in third countries outside the European Union and to which third country nationals whose asylum applications have been definitively rejected and whose countries of origin refuse or delay to accept their repatriation would be transferred. According to the minister, “these centres will operate within the framework of agreements between the European Union and third countries and under the guarantees of European and international law.”
Negotiations with third countries and the role of Greece
Greece is actively participating in the European initiative for the implementation of this project. As Plevris underlines, in an interview with APE-MPA, our country, along with Germany, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands, have undertaken a joint initiative to promote return hubs, while contacts are already underway with third countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, with the aim of signing the first agreements within 2026 and starting the operation of the first hubs from 2027. Indeed, he reveals that “the Greek government is already in negotiations with two African states”.
According to the government’s approach, the return hubs become of particular importance for Greece, as the countries participating in the joint initiative face significant secondary migration flows of people who initially entered through Greek territory. As the minister notes, “the creation of a more effective European return mechanism can complement the existing system and provide an additional innovative tool for both Greece and the other member states for the management of returns.”
Strengthening returns and a stricter detention framework
At the core of the bill is also the tightening of the framework for the return of migrants who are not entitled to international protection or do not have a legal residence permit. Thanos Pleyris tells AP-MPA that the new framework “is already starting to produce tangible results.” As he says, after the adoption of the new law, voluntary returns through the International Organization for Migration have increased by 25%, while in hundreds of cases of illegal stay, the persons concerned have already expressed their intention to return to their countries of origin.
The bill also provides for the strengthening of administrative detention, closer monitoring of persons in the return process, faster activation of removal measures and enhanced cooperation with Frontex and other EU member states. In this context, returns and detention are seen as key tools for the implementation of a more effective migration policy, aiming at the faster removal of those who do not have the right to stay on Greek territory.
The minister directly linked the new return policy to the overall picture of the migration situation, arguing thataccelerating asylum procedures and more effective management of returns contributed to the reduction of illegal migration flows. According to the data presented At the same time, the minister said that in the period 2015-2019, 1,215,280 illegal arrivals were recorded, while from 2019 to date the corresponding arrivals amount to 197,651. In addition, in the first five months of 2026, a further 31% reduction was recorded, while in the Aegean Sea the reduction reaches 65%.
As Plevris underlines, “these figures confirm that the effective management of returns, the acceleration of asylum procedures and border protection are interlinked pillars of a coherent migration policy.”
Mandatory screening at the external borders of the European Union
In addition to returns, the bill also incorporates the new screening system foreseen by the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum. The new framework establishes mandatory pre-screening of all third-country nationals who enter irregularly at the external borders of the European Union before they are even considered to have entered the territory of a member state normally.
At this stage, identity verification, biometric data collection, security checks, health checks and data cross-checking with European databases will take place. The upgraded Eurodac system will play a central role, gaining expanded capabilities to record biometric data and monitor migrants’ movements within the European Union.
Fast-track asylum procedures and tighter timetables
Another key chapter of the bill concerns speeding up asylum procedures through a system of faster assessment of applications. The new framework provides for stricter examination timetables, fast-track border procedures, faster rejection of applications that are deemed manifestly unfounded and special treatment of applications from countries with low rates of recognition of international protection.
According to the government, these changes are aimed at reducing the delays and backlogs that for years have characterized the European and Greek asylum systems, by shaping a model that combines faster examination of international protection applications with a faster processing of asylum applications.
