ATHENS — Greece’s newly appointed migration minister has said the government plans to introduce new “disincentives” to migrants as part of a crackdown on arrivals following an influx from Libya in recent weeks.
Thanos Plevris said the country’s conservative New Democracy government is adopting a “disincentive-based policy” as part of a new campaign to deter migrants. The policy review will include a reassessment of all the state benefits asylum seekers receive and will even examine the meals provided at migrant reception and detention centers.
“From now on, the government will follow a policy of drastically reducing benefits. Among other things, I have asked for a review of the menu, which is given to the camps, which is hotel-like at the moment,” he told local Skai TV. “From [nothing] to having three meal options, four times meat and one fish, is there no in-between situation? The Migration Department is not a hotel.”
The ministry is also working on new legislation that will make it a criminal offense for asylum seekers to remain in Greece after their application is rejected, Plevris said. The offense would carry a five-year prison sentence unless the individual agrees to leave the country voluntarily.
The Greek government will also be voting later this evening on an amendment that suspends the processing of asylum applications for those arriving in Greece from North Africa, and provides for their forcible return, without registration, to their country of origin or provenance. The suspension is to last for three months initially.
Some 9,000 people from Libya have arrived on the island of Crete in recent weeks, almost double the number that landed on the island in whole of 2024. Around 2,000 arrived over the past weekend.
The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty urged Greek lawmakers to reject the amendment.
“This proposal would legalize returning people to face a risk of torture and other serious violations, in breach of obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights,” he said, adding that “the humanitarian situation would be manageable if authorities had addressed the lack of reception capacity in a timely manner.”
Plevris also said that the government is mulling legislation that would allow the state to detain migrants for up to five years.
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