Athens responds to Berlin’s pressure for refugee returns to Greece by rapidly reducing migrant arrivals

Armed with a important simplification successful amerciable migrant arrivals, Athens is responding to renewed German unit for the instrumentality of refugees to Greece.

The contented volition beryllium precocious connected the docket during a gathering time successful Berlin betwixt Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, and Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, who has been pressing for tougher migration measures amid the rising popularity of the far-right AfD successful Germany.

At the halfway of the treatment is the substance of alleged “secondary movements” — migrants from 3rd countries who were granted asylum successful Greece but aboriginal traveled to Germany, wherever they submitted caller asylum applications.

Under the EU’s Dublin III Regulation, specified applicants should beryllium returned to the archetypal state wherever they received asylum. However, existent returns person been limited, arsenic German courts person repeatedly blocked transfers, citing mediocre surviving conditions successful Greece. Nonetheless, Germany has requested the instrumentality of 13,525 individuals who were initially granted asylum successful Greece but reapplied successful Germany.

Athens, successful turn, points to a steep diminution successful migrant arrivals, the effect of stricter authorities measures, peculiarly successful effect to the caller influx of boats arriving successful Crete from Libya.

According to information up to 31 October 2025, arrivals astatine Greece’s maritime borders successful the August–October play reached 11,307 — down from 20,279 successful the aforesaid play of 2024, a driblet of 45%. Notably, this diminution followed a crisp summation during June and July, suggesting that the government’s reinforced borderline power policy, implemented successful mid-summer, succeeded successful reversing a rising trend.

The monthly figures from August done October 2025 corroborate this downward trajectory:

• August: 2,874 arrivals (vs. 5,928 successful 2024)

• September: 4,152 (vs. 6,938)

• October: 4,281 (vs. 7,413)

Overall, during the archetypal 10 months of 2025, oversea arrivals person fallen by 49% compared to 2024 — from 38,205 to 19,370. In the Aegean, the diminution reaches 50%, which authorities sources property to the “full implementation of the caller deterrence and strict detention doctrine.”

According to ministry officials, the diminution is nary coincidence but alternatively “reflects the increasing cognition among traffickers that Greece is nary longer an casual gateway.” The government’s rationale is that a steadfast stance deters those who bash not conscionable asylum criteria, portion encouraging morganatic applicants to usage authoritative channels.

Tomorrow’s gathering successful Berlin is seen arsenic peculiarly important for Athens. Minister Dobrindt is advocating a tougher European migration framework, calling for much pushbacks and tighter power of outer borders. Plevris is expected to contiguous the improved concern astatine Greece’s frontiers, supported by information showing a crisp simplification successful arrivals — evidence, helium volition argue, that Greece’s policies are working.

The Greek presumption remains that the state cannot carnivore the load of EU returns alone, particularly erstwhile nationalist measures person already led to a melodramatic driblet successful irregular arrivals.

Sharp Decline successful Asylum Applications successful Germany

At the aforesaid time, asylum applications successful Germany person besides decreased markedly compared to past twelvemonth — down 55%, according to authoritative information from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, cited by the epd quality agency. As Deutsche Welle reports, first-time asylum applications successful Germany dropped to 8,823 successful October 2025, compared with 19,785 successful October 2024.

According to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, “the alteration successful migration argumentation is paying off,” arsenic the factors that antecedently attracted irregular migration to Germany person been importantly reduced.” Deportations are besides accelerating: astir 2,000 radical are deported each month, with 17,651 deportations carried retired successful the archetypal 9 months of 2025 — up from 14,706 during the aforesaid play past year.