Greece's migration and asylum minister, Thanos Plevris, has warned that authorities are prepared to escalate measures if migration flows increase, while presenting updated figures to parliamentary committees on EU migration reforms.
"I make it clear from now that we will not allow what happened in the country in 2015," he said, adding: "We have taken a firm decision that, in the event of irregular migration flows, there will be an escalation of measures." In a further warning, he stated that "the suspension of asylum will be the mildest of all the measures we have planned, if there is a surge."
According to the minister, arrivals to Greece have fallen so far in 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Sea arrivals stood at 9,313 by 20 April 2025, compared with 4,979 in 2026. "A very large decrease is observed, almost 50%, which overall is around 35% if we also include land borders," he said. At Greece's maritime border with Turkey, arrivals dropped from 6,722 in 2025 to 2,595 in 2026. On the island of Crete, flows appeared broadly stable, with 2,595 arrivals recorded in 2025 and 2,539 in 2026.
Referring to the ongoing war in the Middle East, Plevris said there has so far been no "worrying movement" affecting Greece, noting that Turkey's borders have not come under pressure and that most displacement has occurred within countries of origin. However, he cautioned that "what we do not see now is very likely, if a situation of geopolitical uncertainty continues, to emerge over time."
The minister cited an estimated 3 million displaced Sudanese nationals, including around 500,000 in Libya. He described this as "a worrying pool towards Europe", adding that younger men are often travelling onward while families remain in countries such as Chad or Egypt.
He also pointed to increased flows via Libya earlier this year involving Bangladeshi nationals travelling on tourist routes to Egypt or directly to Libya. According to Plevris, action by Italy, Greece, and the European Commission has led to these travel arrangements being "stopped or restricted". "The main flow that appears likely from Libya is linked to the war and civil conflict in Sudan," he said.
Greece first suspended the submission of asylum applications for one month in 2020, through an emergency act, drawing wide criticism, including from UNHCR, which said neither the 1951 Refugee Convention nor EU refugee law provided a legal basis for suspending the reception of asylum applications.
Another suspension was introduced in July 2025, when parliament approved a three-month freeze on asylum claims for people arriving by sea from North Africa, again prompting criticism from UNHCR and the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights.
