Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris formally presented Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ proposal to the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council.

In his Politico article, Mitsotakis argued that the European Union needs a dedicated mechanism allowing the temporary suspension of asylum applications and the swift return of irregular arrivals, in line with European law, during exceptional cases where mass migration is deliberately used as a tool of pressure—such as in Ceuta and during the attempted border breach at Evros in 2020, which Greece says it successfully prevented.

“We express our solidarity with Spain. As a frontline country, we understand the challenges it is facing and remain in close contact to provide any assistance required,” Plevris said in his address.

“Our country faced a similar situation at the Evros border in 2020, when we prevented the entry of tens of thousands of migrants into the European Union. We therefore have firsthand experience in dealing with such situations.”

Referring to the Prime Minister’s proposal, Plevris continued:

“Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has today published an article in Politico proposing an innovative solution to protect the European area. In these exceptional cases of mass arrivals and the weaponisation of migration, there should be a European mechanism, fully consistent with international law, allowing the temporary suspension of asylum procedures and the return of those who entered illegally.

This is not a departure from European values. On the contrary, it is a way of protecting those values and safeguarding the asylum system itself.

In Ceuta, returns are currently taking place without asylum applications being submitted or examined—and rightly so. Otherwise, the entire border management system would collapse.”

The minister stressed that the European Union must prepare for future attempts to weaponise migration flows, whether at land or maritime borders. He recalled that Greece had taken similar measures both during the 2020 Evros crisis and last summer, when asylum procedures for arrivals from Libya were temporarily suspended, arguing that these actions helped protect both Greece’s and the EU’s external borders.

Plevris also underlined that protecting the EU’s external land and sea borders remains the Union’s highest priority and called for a stronger Frontex presence. Border protection, he said, extends beyond search-and-rescue operations and also includes preventing irregular arrivals, always in accordance with international law.

He further argued that cooperation with third countries is essential for reducing migration flows, noting that experience has shown better results wherever close cooperation exists with neighbouring non-EU countries.

As an example, he cited the Aegean islands, where, according to him, migrant arrivals fell by more than 60% during the first half of 2026. He also said that cooperation with Libya is beginning to produce positive results.

Quoting European Commissioner Magnus Brunner, Plevris said that the number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands in a single week during the 2015 migration crisis roughly equals the total number of irregular arrivals recorded across the entire European Union during the first half of 2026—around 50,000 people.

He added that sea arrivals in Greece have declined by more than 35% during the first seven months of the year, attributing the decrease to what he described as a “firm but fair” migration policy.

Concluding his remarks, Plevris emphasised that solidarity with frontline member states must be practical and substantial, supported by common European solutions and contingency planning even for the most extreme migration scenarios.

He also stressed that the conditions experienced during the 2015 migration crisis must not be repeated, reaffirming that the Greek government’s main priorities remain the effective protection of the EU’s external borders, reducing migration flows, and increasing returns of migrants who are not entitled to remain.