Migration

In July 2025, Greece took a radical, if unsurprising, decision to ban people irregularly arriving on its shores by boat from North Africa from claiming asylum. The government presented the asylum ban as a decisive measure against an increase in arrivals on the southern Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos. The new Greek asylum ban is a textbook breach of EU rules neither unprecedented nor isolated. It comes as a fresh symptom of the deteriorating state of the EU’s Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and of the rule of law that sees governments across the continent openly flout straightforward refugee protection standards, disregard the courts, and get away with it.

In November 2023, the governments of Italy and Albania presented a migrant deal entailing setting up centers on Albanian territory to offshore asylum procedures to Albania. That meant allowing Italian authorities to transfer migrants intercepted by Italian vessels at international waters to migrant centers in Albania under accelerated procedures. Kristina Millona’s analysis offers us a unique insight into the first agreement of its kind on European soil, exposing the politics behind such deals, as well as the lack of safeguards for people on the move.

From 2024 to 2027, Egypt is slated to receive more EU aid than any other country, under a migration agreement which aims to prevent the arrival of refugees and migrants into the European Union.This research was first published on 10-1-2025 on the Solomon website and was carried out with financial support by the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Thessaloniki Office.

Externalisation is increasingly seen as a lever for solving the EU’s migration issues, yet poses serious legal, ethical and practical problems. 

Although Lebanon receives EU support to provide for Syrian refugees, they are increasingly being criminalized and deported. Less than a week after Commission President Von der Leyen’s visit in May, Lebanon issued new residence regulations that effectively block the pathways to legal residence. These new regulations were followed by deportations to Syria, which the EU does not consider safe for return. Instead of making support conditional on respect for the refugees’ human rights, the EU is turning a blind eye. 

Migration and asylum have been at the top of the agenda in the EU for some time now. Thereby, the discussion is less about solving problems or addressing the suffering of people on the move, but more about preventing people from reaching European soil. This is neither good for the people seeking refuge in our continent, nor beneficial to the political debate on these issues. 

While the European Union is poised for alteration, it becomes important more than ever to remember why Türkiye matters for Europe’s migration challenges. The EU needs a stable Türkiye. A country in severe economic and political conditions, lacking sufficient support for refugees and migrants, perfectly illustrates the push factors that drive further migration where the EU is a near destination. A stable Türkiye benefits the EU, the population in Türkiye, and the surrounding region. This cannot be achieved with unfair policies.

The video series “Lost in a legal maze” explores the legal difficulties and pitfalls faced by asylum seekers in Greece and Europe. Eleven people talk to the camera about their own cases, revealing the lack of coherence in asylum policy, the high degree of arbitrariness and a systematic attempt to discourage them. This article, on the occasion of the first screening of the series, takes a legal and political look at these issues.