Greece expects to sign its first agreement with an African country to establish a migrant Return Hub after Christmas, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said on Thursday.
Speaking to SKAI, Plevris said Greece is working with Denmark, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands on the initiative, which is designed to facilitate the transfer of migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected to designated centres outside the European Union.
“We expect to be in a position to sign the first agreement with an African country after Christmas,” Plevris said, adding that the agreement would allow migrants with rejected asylum claims to be transferred there.
The five countries have already established a Core Group to develop the Return Hub model, with Greece playing a central role in the initiative. A framework for cooperation with a third country was agreed in September, with the participating governments aiming to move towards implementation in 2027.
Return Hubs targeted for 2027
Plevris said the Return Hubs are expected to become an additional tool in European and Greek migration policy, particularly for people whose asylum applications have been rejected but whose return to their countries of origin cannot immediately be carried out.
Greece has been pushing the initiative alongside its European partners, with discussions involving potential host countries in Africa. The first pilot is expected to move forward in 2027.
The minister also reiterated Greece’s proposal for an emergency European mechanism to deal with sudden and exceptionally large migration pressures.
Under the Greek proposal, special measures could be activated during a major migration crisis, including the temporary suspension of asylum procedures under specific circumstances. Plevris has said the proposal has received support in principle from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Greece sees major shift in migration routes
Plevris said migration flows across Greece’s maritime border with Türkiye have fallen to historically low levels, with around 6,000 arrivals recorded during the first nine months of the year.
The main pressure has instead shifted towards the route from Libya to Crete, where arrivals have reached approximately 16,000 over the same period.
The shift has placed Crete at the centre of Greece’s current migration challenge, as authorities continue efforts to manage arrivals from North Africa while strengthening returns of people whose asylum applications have been rejected.
Plevris said Greece is continuing to increase returns while working to implement the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, arguing that effective returns and the creation of Return Hubs are key components of the government’s migration policy.
Greece has previously said the new Return Hub framework will operate under European and international law.
Source: AMNA
