The tourist season in Greece is in full swing and at this very moment the number of refugees arriving from Libya via the Mediterranean has increased sharply. At the moment, the most affected are the island of Crete and the small island of Gavdos - the southernmost point of Greece. There, the pressure is growing as a result of the daily increasing number of refugees on the route from Libya, which is 350 km to the south. This week alone, about 1,500 refugees have arrived in Crete and Gavdos.
The local authorities are in a very difficult situation. Hundreds of people are waiting under the scorching sun in the ports of Crete - Chania, Rethymno and Heraklion. In the past few days, around 500 people have been taken to the port of Lavrio near Athens.
The Greek government under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was quick to react: a controversial legal change was imposed, according to which asylum applications from refugees arriving from Libya will not be processed for at least three months. In addition, a new camp will be built on Crete.
Refugees await detention
The adopted law stipulates that refugees from North Africa on Crete will first be detained - without immediate access to the asylum procedure. After three months, accelerated deportation is planned. These provisions contradict international and European rules such as the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as Greek law – all of which guarantee the right to a fair asylum procedure.
Some Greek experts are not convinced that the law is compatible with the currently valid norms and believe that a case could be brought against Greece at the European level. In addition, there are questions regarding the practical application and the time frame of these provisions - for example, when will the asylum procedures be suspended and, above all, under what conditions will refugees who have reached Greece be accommodated.
Diversion of attention from other problems
As a result of the sharply increased number of new arrivals, the Greek government is facing high public and political pressure to deal with the crisis situation. The legal change can be understood as a reaction to this pressure. And its purpose is not only to repel refugees - it is probably also a matter of diverting attention from other domestic political problems.
Since the end of June 2025, for example, the media has been focused on an affair involving illegally obtained agricultural subsidies from the EU. Two years after the train crash in Tempe, the reasons have not yet been clarified. The changes in refugee policy are justified by the emergency situation, which, according to the government, requires a quick and decisive response. Many experts assume that the measures will not hold up in court.
Dramatic situation on the island of Gavdos
About a fifth of refugees reach the EU via the small island of Gavdos, 35 km south of Crete. The island has very limited infrastructure resources and does not have sufficient accommodation options for refugees. Water supplies are scarce and are intended mainly for the local population and tourists. The local authorities are understaffed and the island can only be reached by ferry from Crete.
Therefore, the refugees are given minimal care with the aim of transferring them elsewhere as quickly as possible. Gavdos receives financial and logistical support from the Greek Ministry of Migration and from temporarily based Frontex ships that intervene if necessary.
Growing resistance
The complete abolition of the asylum procedure in Greece has only occurred during the pandemic and in exceptional cases at the Evros (Maritsa) River on the border with Turkey in the northeast of the country. The measures now planned are of a highly repressive nature and raise serious questions regarding the principles of the rule of law. Deportations to unsafe countries of origin or transit countries are particularly controversial, as they may constitute a violation of international protection standards and pose humanitarian risks.
In Greece itself, there is resistance to the new law for other reasons too – many say it does not go far enough. Local protests are making it difficult to build or expand reception centres for refugees. There is also opposition to the construction of new reception centres on Crete from most parties, including the ruling New Democracy party of Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The Greek tourism industry, in turn, fears a negative impact on the image of the popular resort island. What the protests have in common is that they reject the reception of refugees on Crete – but at the same time leave open the question of what to do with the people who arrive.
How is the EU reacting?
The European Commission has been informed of the legal change and has shown understanding regarding the strain on the EU's external borders in Greece. There has been almost no public criticism from Brussels. Especially considering the geopolitical context of the latest refugee wave: General Khalifa Haftar, who rules eastern and southern Libya, apparently wants to increase pressure on the EU to recognize his regime by sending refugees to Greece. The negotiations with EU representatives scheduled for the beginning of this week failed – the members of the EU delegation, including Austrian European Commissioner Markus Brunner and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, were declared persona non grata upon their arrival in Benghazi and were immediately expelled.
Author: Sofia Kleftaki