Greece is toughening its migration policy with accelerated deportations and return centers outside the EU

The Greek parliament passed a new law Tuesday evening aimed at accelerating the deportation of rejected asylum seekers and allowing their transfer to "return centers" located outside the European Union, provided that bilateral agreements are concluded with third countries. This reform marks a significant hardening of Greek migration policy.

This system allows migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected to be sent to facilities outside the European Union, under future international agreements. Greek authorities are thus seeking to reduce administrative delays in removals and streamline deportation procedures.

Located on Europe's southern border and at the forefront of migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea, Greece was one of the main points of entry during the 2015-2016 migration crisis. At that time, more than a million people, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, entered European territory through its borders.

While overall arrivals have decreased since that period, some migration routes remain active. Two islands close to the North African coast, Crete and Gavdos, have notably seen an increase in the number of boats over the last two years, with departures mainly from Libya.

This development comes as European Union member states recently approved new rules allowing, under certain conditions, the transfer of migrants ordered to leave European territory to centers located in third countries. This measure has drawn strong criticism from human rights organizations, which fear abuses and violations of fundamental rights.

In this context, Greece also indicates that it is working with several European partners, including the Netherlands, to implement these new migration guidelines.