EU border agency reviewing 12 cases of potential rights violations by Greece

By Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis

ATHENS (Reuters) - The EU border agency said on Tuesday it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, including some allegations migrants were pushed back across the frontier, a practice for which Athens has already been chastised in European court.

Greece, for years a favoured gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has been accused by human rights groups of forcefully returning asylum-seekers on its sea and land borders, a practice it denies.

"There are currently 12 active Serious Incident Reports related to Greece under review by the Fundamental Rights Office. Each is being examined thoroughly," Chris Borowski, spokesperson for EU border agency Frontex, said on Tuesday.

He said some of the cases referred to allegations of illegal pushbacks at the border but gave no further details of the circumstances. Two of the incidents occurred in 2025, nine in 2024 and one in 2023.

Officials at the Greek coast guard and police, responsible for the sea and land borders, were not immediately available to respond to questions about the 12 cases. A coast guard official said staff operate "with a high sense of responsibility, and with full respect for human lives and human rights".

In January, the European Court of Human Rights found violations of human rights by Greece over a case at its land border with Turkey, referring in its ruling to a "systematic practice of pushbacks".

Any disciplinary action over rights violations would be up to the Greek national authorities.

Frontex, which has also been accused by rights groups in the past of complicity in illegal pushbacks, is undergoing reforms and has warned states including Greece that if they fail to report potential rights violations co-financing may be withheld.

Greece's coast guard has rescued over 250,000 people since 2015 when the country was at the frontline of Europe's migration crisis. Thousands of others have died at sea, according to the U.N refugee agency.

Frontex's financing of Greek maritime operations was cut last year due to broader operational budget constraints but the agency still engages with Greek authorities, insisting on reforms, said Borowski.

"Frontex has changed how it engages with member states. We no longer supply resources unquestioningly," he said. "(We)insist on standards and expect action."

(Additioanl reporting by Amina Ismail in Brussels; Editing by Peter Graff)