On Thursday 10 July, the European Commission said it would examine Athens’ decision to temporarily suspend the examination of asylum applications from people arriving by boat from North African countries.
“We are in close contact with the Greek authorities to obtain the necessary information on these measures and their practical implementation”, said spokesperson Markus Lammert, adding that the Commission could only take action, if necessary, once the law had been adopted.
On 9 July, the Greek government announced its intention to initially suspend for three months the examination of asylum applications from people arriving on board boats from North African countries, particularly Libya.
This decision should aims to curb the sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving on the island of Crete from the Libyan coast. More than 7,000 people have landed on Crete and the small neighbouring island of Gavdos since the beginning of the year, according to AFP.
On 10 July, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, reported that “crossings via the Eastern Mediterranean migratory route dropped by nearly a quarter to 19,600” between January and June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, but that this route “has seen a notable development in recent months with the emergence of the Libya-Crete corridor. This corridor now accounts for the largest number of crossings in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
In March 2025, Poland also adopted a law allowing the long-term suspension of the registration of applications for international protection to tackle the instrumentalisation of migrants.
Link to Frontex data: https://aeur.eu/f/htb (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)