Migrants rescued from a deadly shipwreck off the southern coast of Crete disembark in Kali Limenes, on February 21, 2026. [Intime News]
A series of incidents south of Crete and Gavdos over the Easter period is raising concern about migrant flows from Libya in the coming months, Greek authorities say.
From early Sunday through early Tuesday, nine separate cases involving vessels in distress were recorded in a span of about 48 hours. A total of 381 people were rescued, according to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
The developments come ahead of the implementation on June 12 of the European Union’s new Migration Pact. Under the framework, frontline states such as Greece will conduct an initial screening of migrants entering irregularly, aiming within 12 weeks to distinguish those with low chances of receiving asylum based on their country of origin. Those individuals will be transferred to designated facilities and placed under administrative detention.
“Our main priority is rapid examination so that return decisions can be issued quickly for those not entitled to asylum,” Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told Kathimerini. He added that an effective return mechanism is necessary for the system to function.
At the same time, bilateral agreements signed by Greece with Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium eliminate the return of asylum seekers who passed through Greece and are currently in those countries. In exchange, those member-states will not provide, for one year, financial contributions otherwise foreseen under solidarity principles.
Authorities are also expressing concern about the summer period. “We have on the table measures to suspend the examination of asylum applications that we applied last year, but we will use them only in case of emergency,” Plevris said. Officials and local authorities expect increased arrivals along the Libya-Crete route during the summer months, particularly June and July, as well as in September and October, when weather conditions are more favorable. In the first quarter of 2026, 2,168 migrants arrived in Crete and Gavdos. In total, 20,187 refugees and migrants reached Greece via the Libya-Crete corridor in 2025.
Local infrastructure remains limited outside the Hania region. A temporary reception facility in Iraklio is expected to be ready by summer, but arrivals are currently housed in a former refrigerated storage area at the port. In one case, 61 migrants rescued late Monday night were temporarily accommodated in a primary school in the Kalogeron settlement, where the Red Cross provided first aid and tents were set up due to limited indoor space.