Greece’s top legal body has warned the government that a new draft law to tighten immigration policy, which includes provisions to suspend asylum applications, violates international and EU law.
In a meeting with Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, a delegation from the Plenary of Presidents of Greek Bar Associations voiced strong opposition to a clause that would suspend for three months the right to apply for asylum for anyone entering Greece illegally by sea from North Africa.
The association argued that increased migration does not justify abandoning Greece's legal obligations.
The lawyers also raised alarms over other "punitive" measures in the bill, including the abolition of residence permits granted for humanitarian reasons and new restrictions on legal appeals. They cited concerns over the planned use of AI in interviews without official transcripts and limited access to translators for asylum seekers.
The Bar Association condemned what it described as attempts to intimidate immigration lawyers and affirmed it will submit detailed, article-by-article feedback on the draft law to the ministry. The minister, Mr. Plevris, and Deputy Minister Sevi Voloudaki attended the meeting.