Greece's parliament has passed legislation to align domestic law with the EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum on the votes of the ruling New Democracy party alone, with every opposition party either voting against or abstaining — a display of political isolation on an issue that has dominated Greek public debate for months as Crete's southern coast absorbs hundreds of migrants daily.
Migration Minister Thanos Plevris, who steered the bill, defended it as a necessary framework for faster asylum determinations and stronger deportation procedures, built around mandatory screening, biometric tracking under the updated Eurodac system and streamlined removals. SYRIZA, the Communist Party, Greek Solution and Niki voted against; PASOK voted present. Zoe Konstantopoulou's Course of Freedom also opposed the bill but failed to submit its ballot before the vote closed, with the party saying paperwork would be filed Wednesday.
Opposition lawmakers accused the government of eroding civil liberties and shifting disproportionate administrative burdens onto border regions already under strain.
Mr. Plevris rejected those characterisations, framing the law as a geopolitical compromise required by Greece's position as the EU's southeastern border.
Parliament also passed a separate amendment granting the state operational control and usage fees over Athens Airport's aviation fuel pipeline and establishing a merit-based hiring system for Coast Guard officers — measures rejected by all parties except Greek Solution, which abstained.
The vote comes as the migration crisis on Crete has intensified sharply, with more than 200 arrivals in a single day last week and nearly 6,000 people reaching the island from Libya so far in 2026 — roughly half of all sea arrivals in Greece.