Greece is pushing the European Union to create a formal mechanism that would allow member states to suspend asylum appli...

Greece is pushing the European Union to create a formal mechanism that would allow member states to suspend asylum applications during major migration surges. Migration Minister Thanos Plevris made the proposal Thursday at a meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs ministers in Luxembourg. Plevris said the EU's existing migration pact had helped reduce arrivals and boost deportations, but it still falls short when crises hit fast and hard. He pointed to the July surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where Spain estimates more than 72,000 migrants crossed in late July alone, as proof that current tools aren't enough. About 10,000 of those migrants are still in Ceuta. "In such cases, there should be enhanced border surveillance and suspension of asylum," Plevris said on his way into the ministerial meeting. Greece itself paused processing of asylum applications from North African sea arrivals for several months last year and pushed through legislation to fast-track deportations of rejected claimants. Greece joined Germany, Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands, a group known as the Group of Five, in announcing concrete steps toward setting up return hubs in a non-EU country. The move is part of a broader European push to accelerate deportations and cut irregular migration. Greece was on the front line of the 2015-16 migration crisis when more than a million people crossed from the Middle East and Africa into Europe. Greek Aegean islands have seen a fresh rise in migrant boat crossings from Libya in recent years, keeping the pressure on Athens to push hard for stricter EU-wide tools. #Greece #Immigration #EU