The Greek government has prepared legislation that will introduce tougher penalties for rejected asylum seekers and accelerate their return to home countries, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced.
“Penalties will be heavier for those who enter the country illegally or stay in our country, if their asylum application is being rejected,” Mr. Mitsotakis told a cabinet meeting where a new draft law on illegal migration was discussed.
Mr. Mitsotakis said the bill will also aim to speed up returns through a “more effective and fair mechanism.”
The regulations will require parliamentary approval before taking effect.
Migrant flows to Greece dropped 30% in the first four months of this year compared to the previous year, with fewer people entering along its eastern border with Turkey.
However, sea arrivals from Libya to the outlying islands of Crete and Gavdos have surged in recent months along a new smuggling route in the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of rejected asylum seekers are currently stranded in Greece.
Last week, the European Commission proposed amending European law to allow member states to deport rejected asylum seekers if they can be sent to a third country deemed safe by the bloc.
The proposal aims to accelerate asylum processes and reduce pressure on asylum systems.
Greece was on the frontline of the 2015-2016 migration crisis when more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed into Europe.
The surge in arrivals triggered calls for countries on Europe’s southern frontier, like Greece and Italy, to bolster their borders.
While the numbers have since fallen, migration remains a politically charged issue, and Mr. Mitsotakis has pledged to toughen his stance.