Greece and Germany are jointly leading a new initiative to establish “return hubs” in Africa for irregular migrants who cannot be repatriated to their countries of origin.
The initiative seems to focus primarily on return or repatriation hubs for those deemed irregular or whose claims have failed, rather than processing initial asylum applications.
Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris announced the plan during an interview with Greek public broadcaster ERT on Wednesday morning.
Greece and the return hub initiative
The plan aims to curb illegal migration by making the prospect of reaching Europe less appealing. The proposed return centers will be located outside the European Union, in Africa.
The Minister explained that two models are being discussed:
Safe Countries: Centers in secure African countries that would accept returnees. These centers would be under full EU scrutiny and would operate with reciprocal benefits for the host African nations.
Unsafe Countries (e.g., Libya): Centers designed primarily to hold migrants in transit countries.
The initiative will not operate under the official aegis of the entire European Union but will be driven by participating member states (Greece and Germany).
Minister Plevris stressed the goal: “If these centers are outside the European continent, they act as a deterrent.” Greece officially expressed its strong interest in joining the initiative led by Germany.
Latest migration flow data
Minister Plevris also presented data demonstrating a significant decrease in migrant arrivals in Greece following new policy measures.
Arrivals in Greece during the period following the passing of the new illegal migration law and asylum suspension (August, September, October, and the first half of November) are down 45-50% compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
Last year, Greece saw approximately 23,000 arrivals during that period, compared to roughly 12,000 this year.
“We now have a significant difference, and today we are 18% below last year, whereas in July we had an upward trend,” the Minister noted.
Factors behind the reduction in migrant numbers
The Minister attributed the substantial drop in arrivals to several factors:
Turkey Cooperation: Improved cooperation with Turkey on deterrence, which has resulted in a reduction of over 50% in that sector, despite Turkey not accepting back migrants.
Libya Diplomacy: Better diplomatic efforts concerning Libya.
Plevris labeled the repatriation of illegal migrants as a “major priority.”
Current return numbers stand at 5,000-6,000 per year. The Minister aims to significantly increase this number to ensure that the overall population of migrants—both those granted asylum and those who remain illegally—is reduced, in combination with the decrease in new arrivals.
Related: Greece Says More Than 50% of Migrants Claiming to Be Minors Are in Fact Adults