Greece proposes suspending asylum requests in emergencies

Greece Calls for EU Emergency Mechanism to Suspend Asylum Requests in Crises

Greece Urges EU Action Amid Migration Surges

ATHENS, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday that the EU should develop an emergency mechanism to temporarily suspend applications for asylum in major migration crises such as the arrival of tens of thousands of people in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July.

Background: Greece’s Role in Past Migration Crises

Greece was on the front line ​of a 2015-16 crisis when more than a million ​people from the Middle East and Africa crossed into ⁠Europe. Arrivals have since dropped, although Greek Aegean islands have seen a rise in migrant boats from Libya in recent years.

Current Measures and Their Limitations

Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said on Thursday that an EU migration pact had helped curb arrivals and increase migrant returns, but that the measures taken so far were not sufficient to deal with emergencies such as the surge into Ceuta.

Case Study: The Ceuta Incident

Spain estimates more than 72,000 migrants entered the North African enclave in late July. Most returned but around 10,000 are still there.

Proposed Emergency Mechanism

"In such cases, there should be enhanced border surveillance and suspension of asylum," he said, arriving at a meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers in Luxembourg.

Greece’s Recent Policy Actions

Athens stopped processing asylum applications from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea for a few months last year and passed legislation to fast-track deportation of rejected asylum seekers.

European Cooperation and Future Steps

The Group of Five Initiative

Greece, along with Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, known as the Group of Five, said they had agreed on concrete steps towards establishing return hubs in a non-EU country as part of a wider European push to increase deportations and curb irregular migration.

Reporting

(Reporting by Angeliki KoutantouEditing by Peter Graff)