Greece Passes Law To Toughen Penalties On Rejected Asylum Seekers, Speed Returns

Greece’s parliament has approved new legislation tightening penalties for rejected asylum seekers and accelerating their return to home countries, amid a rise in migrant arrivals at its southern borders this year.

The law, passed on Wednesday, stipulates that undocumented migrants arriving from countries deemed safe by the European Union, and not entitled to asylum, must either return home voluntarily or face detention for at least 24 months and fines of up to €10,000.

Migration flows into Greece have dropped significantly since the peak of the 2015–2016 crisis, when more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa crossed into Europe through the country. But a recent increase in arrivals from Libya via Crete and Gavdos prompted the government to temporarily suspend asylum applications for North African migrants earlier this year.

The legislation reflects a broader tightening of migration policy under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s conservative government, which has already expanded a border fence with Turkey and boosted sea patrols since taking office in 2019.

“Greeks have the right to protect their country, and that outweighs the right of someone whose asylum application has been rejected to stay illegally,” Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told parliament on Tuesday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern, warning that the law risks punishing people in genuine need of international protection. It urged Greece to adopt fast-track asylum procedures that would allow quicker differentiation between refugees and those not entitled to protection.

Athens maintains it is committed to lawful returns. Officials said that hundreds of irregular migrants were repatriated after asylum requests were suspended in July and that further return flights are planned this month to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt.

Human rights organisations, however, have long accused Greece of illegal “pushbacks” at sea and land borders. Earlier this year, the EU border agency Frontex confirmed it was reviewing 12 cases of possible rights violations by Greek authorities.

Melissa Enoch

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