The decongestion of Crete is being completed this week and I mean tomorrow it will be 500 while yesterday it was 980, Thanos Plevris said speaking on ERT on Tuesday morning.

The big issue right now in Europe is deportations, this will be raised on July 22 in Brussels because European directives are not being overridden, he said.

The Immigration and Asylum Minister said he is organizing a new trip to Libya and reiterated that this is an invasion and “let the supposed humanitarians be bothered. We are not handing the country over to the boats,” he added.

On the creation of a closed structure in Crete, he said he respects the mayors’ proposal for two small structures, but it must be made clear that a closed structure is preferred. “We are speaking frankly in Crete. We will not stagnate the population in a closed structure.” 

Overall, I have asked to see rationalization in all benefits, as the issue in Europe is that immigrants are not given incentives and do not have more benefits than taxpayers living below the poverty line, he added.