Greece Proposes Suspending Asylum Requests in Emergencies Amid Migration Surges
EU Discussions on Migration Policy and Emergency Measures
By Amina Ismail and Angeliki Koutantou
LUXEMBOURG, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Greece urged the European Union on Thursday to allow member states to temporarily suspend asylum applications during major migration flows, arguing that current rules are inadequate to handle mass arrivals as in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta this summer.
The proposal, submitted to EU interior ministers meeting in Luxembourg during the Justice and Home Affairs Council, appeared to garner support from some member states.
Member States' Reactions and Political Context
"We have to find a legal way not to bring them into the asylum procedure," said Dutch Migration Minister Bart van den Brink. "In situations like Ceuta, it should be treated as a border management issue rather than an asylum issue."
Anti-immigration sentiment has remained a potent political force across Europe since more than 1 million people, many of them Syrians fleeing war, arrived in the bloc in 2015.
The flow of migrants has boosted support for nationalist and far-right parties and pushed many governments towards tougher migration policies centered on border controls, deterrence and returns.
Irregular arrivals are down 35% this year and returns were up about 8% in the first half of this year.
Spain estimates more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July. Most have since returned, but about 10,000 remain, reinforcing calls in some capitals for a tougher approach.
Calls for Enhanced Emergency Tools
MORE TOOLS FOR EMERGENCIES
Several member states argue the EU migration pact, which entered into force in June, has helped reduce arrivals but does not provide sufficient tools to respond to large-scale emergencies, despite containing mechanisms intended for such situations.
Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the pact had improved the bloc's ability to manage migration flows but had not gone far enough.
Proposals for Border Surveillance and Asylum Suspension
"In such cases, there should be enhanced border surveillance and suspension of asylum," he told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Luxembourg.
Plevris' proposal comes two weeks after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the commission will present an emergency framework allowing member states to respond to sudden large-scale migrant arrivals.
Legal and Human Rights Considerations
Asked whether he saw a suspension of asylum as possible under the new emergency law, Magnus Brunner, commissioner for migration, said international law had to be respected.
“Europe needs the means to protect its borders at all times. When movements are engineered and weaponized against us, this is not just a migration issue; it is a security issue … Of course we will always comply with fundamental rights and values,” Brunner said at a press conference following the council meeting where the emergency framework was discussed.
Return Regulation and Third-Country Hubs
Ministers also approved on Thursday the return regulation, which will allow member states to establish return hubs outside the EU.
Rwanda has held preliminary talks with some EU countries about potentially hosting such facilities, two European Parliament lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing discussions with Rwandan officials.
Group of Five and Next Steps
Officials from Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Denmark — known as the Group of Five — met on Thursday on the sidelines of the council.
Van den Brink said a technical mission visited the potential host country in early September.
He said discussions had progressed and the group aims to identify the country by the end of this year and begin transfers in 2027, though the five countries have not provided further details.
(Reporting by Amina Ismail in Luxemborg and Angeliki Koutantou in Athens , additional repoting by Inti Landauro in Brussels,Editing by Peter Graff, Inti Landauro, Rod Nickel)
