Yesterday’s Khalifa Haftar at Benghazi airport, which resulted in a visit by European Migration Commissioner Magnus Bruner along with the Greek Migration Minister, Thanos Plevris, and the Italian and Maltese Interior Ministers, resulting in the government facing tough decisions on the increasing flows from Libya. Tough decisions potentially facilitated by the handling of the Libyan official, as Europe can no longer easily turn a blind eye, according to Greek government sources.

At noon today, Thanos Plevris will cross the threshold of Megaro Maximou on an unscheduled basis, and yesterday he held talks with the prime minister after returning to Athens from Benghazi. It should be taken for granted that Plevris is coming to this discussion with a “hard line”, realising that there is no longer any time for delays. Reportedly, Mr. Mitsotakis is also taking the same line, seeing the images of “boatloads” of migrants arriving in Crete and realizing that this cannot continue indefinitely.

“The margins have narrowed in these marginal cases, the government is considering increasingly strict and efficient measures,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said yesterday (Action 24), acknowledging that the flows for the past few weeks have been very large.

Indicative of the situation is that a meeting was scheduled for Monday at the Maximos Mansion with the leadership of the Ministry of Immigration, while a meeting has been scheduled for Friday at the ministry with the participation of the regional governor of Crete, the mayor of Rethymnon Giorgis Marinakis, the mayor of Heraklion Alexis Kalokairinou, Giannis Kefalogiannis, Mr.However, yesterday’s developments accelerate the situation and possibly the decisions.

Strict measures

According to protothema.gr, the government has two major weapons on the table: the suspension of the possibility of applying for asylum, with possibly a few exceptions, from those coming from the Libyan coast and arriving in Crete, and the confinement of those in closed centres, with administrative detention.

In common, anyone coming from Libya – admittedly young men – will not be able to claim asylum and will automatically be placed in detention. This measure aims to send a stern message to the coast of Tobruk that trying to cross the Libyan Sea for migrants will be a gift, as they will simply end up in detention status in Greece, with no prospect of continuing on their way to Europe.

Competent sources believe that the message will reach across very quickly, should a decision be taken. It is recalled that the prospect of freezing asylum applications, combined with the bill to tighten the administrative detention framework, was also elaborated by Makis Voridis before he left the ministerial post.

“The government will deal with the situation with determination, respecting international and European rules on migration but also without any desire to make our country a closed vineyard,” Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis told ERTNEWS yesterday, adding that the road to financial aid for Libya goes through Greece.

Domain in Crete;

Another question at issue is whether a Pre-Departure Centre should also be set up in Crete, a scenario that has at times caused a backlash in local communities. Last May, Voridis had visited Heraklion and several scenarios for the possible location of a migrant centre had been discussed, but the investigation did not proceed, while the municipality of Heraklion said it had no land to allocate.

The departure of Mr. Voridis from the ministry again froze the decisions, but they are coming back as a matter of urgency, given the tragic picture in makeshift structures set up ad hoc in Chania and Rethymno, for the Coast Guard and local authorities to manage the burden of migrants coming in. The problem is acute at the moment, as the migrants are leaving for the mainland on liner boats, so there are not many tickets to be found, and they are “stranded” in Crete. Those who are ‘stranded’ are being joined by new arrivals.

Government sources leave open the possibility of creating a new structure, although several technical details are still pending. “We agree to become closed structures, where migrants will stay for three days in covered areas and in humane conditions,” said, in turn, yesterday,y the regional governor of Crete, Stavros Arnaoutakis (SKAI 100.3), stressing that decisions will have to be taken at Friday’s meeting.