Greece Passes Stricter Law on Rejected Asylum Seekers

The Greek Parliament on Wednesday approved new legislation that imposes tougher penalties on rejected asylum seekers and accelerates their deportations, signaling a sharper stance on migration amid a surge of arrivals at the country’s southern borders this year.

Greece was at the forefront of Europe’s migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, when over one million people fled war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Although flows later declined, recent increases in arrivals from Libya to the islands of Crete and Gavdos prompted the government to suspend asylum applications from North African migrants.

The new law stipulates that undocumented migrants entering from the southernmost point of Europe, coming from countries the European Union deems safe, are ineligible for asylum. 

Instead, they face either deportation to their home countries or detention for at least 24 months, along with fines of up to €10,000.

The legislation represents a further tightening of migration policy under the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which has already expanded border fences and intensified maritime patrols since 2019.

Migration Minister Thanos Plevris defended the law in parliament, stating that the rights of Greek citizens seeking to protect their country outweigh those of migrants whose asylum claims have been rejected.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), however, warned that the legislation risks penalising people in genuine need of international protection. It suggested that Greece could instead implement faster asylum procedures to swiftly distinguish between refugees and those not eligible for protection, ensuring fairer treatment.