Greece is collaborating with Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Denmark to establish migrant return centers in third countries outside the EU, “preferably in Africa,” stated Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris.
Speaking to ERT, the Minister explained that the objective is to transfer individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected, yet who cannot be returned directly to their countries of origin, to these facilities.
“We are not speaking theoretically anymore, we are speaking practically,” Plevris said. He didn’t specify which countries were being considered to host the return hubs, and said the choice of the African continent was “not binding.”
It was the larger European countries that were speaking directly with the countries where the return hubs could be located, “but we are participating too,” he added.
Offshore migrant return centers are “a deterrent”
Plevris noted that the prospect of being sent to a third-country center serves as a “deterrent.” He further indicated that the primary framework is expected to take shape in the coming months, in alignment with European return legislation.
While migration flows decreased in 2025, the Minister highlighted that returns remain a significant challenge. Greece currently carries out 5,000–7,000 returns annually, a figure far outweighed by the 40,000–50,000 annual arrivals.
Asylum is “not for life”
Furthermore, Plevris emphasized that asylum is “not for life,” asserting that status can be re-evaluated if conditions in the country of origin change or if public safety concerns arise.
Plevris said there had been a 21% reduction in people arriving in the country illegally in 2025 compared to 2024, or 13,000 fewer arrivals last year compared to the previous year, and a 40% reduction over the last five months.
The Greek minister said he would be travelling to Rome next week for meetings with his Italian and Spanish counterparts. He said they would also meet with “the equivalent minister” from Pakistan as part of talks with countries of origin for greater cooperation on returns.
Athens has taken an increasingly hard line in dealing with migration, and its coast guard has often been accused of carrying out so-called pushbacks: summary deportations of new arrivals without allowing them to apply for asylum. The government strenuously denies that it carries out such practices.
Related: Greece Faces Fivefold Surge in Migrant Arrivals via Libya Route
