The Greek government has submitted emergency legislation to Parliament that would temporarily suspend the processing of asylum applications for anyone arriving illegally by sea from North Africa, a drastic move aimed at stemming a record surge of migrant boats from Libya.
The proposed amendment, which is scheduled for debate on Thursday, would allow authorities to return these individuals to their country of origin without registering their asylum claim.
The measure is set to last for three months.
The move hardens Greece’s migration policy is a direct response to a spiraling crisis on the island of Crete, which has seen thousands of migrant arrivals in the past week alone. The influx has overwhelmed local resources and highlighted the emergence of a new, highly active smuggling route from the Libyan coast.
The legislative push comes just days after a high-level EU diplomatic mission to Libya, which included Greece’s migration minister, ended in failure when the delegation was expelled from the eastern city of Benghazi by military commander Khalifa Haftar.
The Greek government has argued that tougher measures are needed to send a clear deterrent message to smuggling networks.
Most of the recent arrivals are from countries like Egypt, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, whose citizens are not typically considered eligible for asylum in the EU.
The proposal is expected to face strong criticism from human rights organizations, who argue that suspending the right to apply for asylum violates international and European law.