Greece urges EU to allow suspending asylum applications during emergencies
At an EU interior ministers' meeting, Greece proposed letting member states temporarily halt asylum application processing during mass migration emergencies, citing this summer's events in Ceuta. Several states backed the idea, while the EU migration commissioner stressed respect for international law.
At the EU interior ministers' meeting on October 1, Greece put forward a proposal that would allow member states to temporarily stop accepting asylum applications during situations of mass migration influx. Greek migration minister Athanasios Plevris argued that current rules are inadequate for crises such as the one Spain's enclave city of Ceuta faced this summer, calling for stronger border surveillance alongside a suspension of application intake in such cases.
The proposal won support from several bloc members. The Dutch migration minister said a lawful mechanism is needed to prevent mass migrant flows from entering the asylum system, arguing such situations should be treated as a governance matter rather than an asylum matter.
The Ceuta episode and broader context
Spanish estimates show more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July, with most returned to Morocco, while around 10,000 remain on Spanish territory. The episode has prompted several governments to call for a tougher approach.
Since 2015, when more than a million people — mostly from Syria — arrived in the EU, migration has continued to shape politics, fueling support for nationalist and far-right parties. Many governments have shifted toward stricter policies focused on border control, deterrence and returns. Illegal migration has fallen 35% this year, while the number of migrants returned in the first half of the year rose 8% compared with the previous six months.
The pact and Brussels' response
The EU Migration Pact, which entered into force in June, is seen by several member states as helpful but insufficient for handling large-scale emergencies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said two weeks earlier that the Commission would propose emergency guidelines allowing states to respond to sudden surges of migrant arrivals.
Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner acknowledged that Europe needs ways to protect its borders, especially when mass movement is used as a form of pressure, but stressed that international law and fundamental values must continue to be respected.
At the same meeting, ministers approved a new returns regulation that will allow member states to set up return centers outside the EU. Rwanda has already held preliminary talks with several European countries on hosting migrants.
