MEDITERRANEAN: Rise in arrivals on Crete ― Greek Parliament votes to suspend asylum ― Increasingly hostile discourse about people on the move in Greece ― More deportations from Cyprus ― Italian authorities accused of ignoring boat in distress ― Italy’s…

• There has been a rise in the number of people arriving in Greece irregularly in recent weeks.
• The Greek Parliament has approved a three-month asylum suspension on arrivals from North Africa.
• The Racist Violence Recording Network has raised concerns about the increasingly hostile political and public discourse surrounding people on the move in Greece.
• Cypriot authorities have reported that they deported 223 third-country nationals between 7 and 13 July.
• Italian authorities reportedly waited for almost two days before issuing an emergency alert for a boat in distress in March 2024.
• Italy’s highest court has rejected a legal challenge against the detention of humanitarian rescue ships.
• Italy’s Tribunal of Ministers is considering bringing criminal charges against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other ministers and senior officials over the release and subsequent deportation of a Libyan general who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
• The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has published a report on its periodic visit to Malta in 2023.

There has been a rise in the number of people arriving in Greece irregularly in recent weeks. Almost 2,000 people arrived on the island of Crete on 6-7 July. This brings the total number of people who have arrived on the island since the beginning of the year to 9,000, an increase of over 350% compared to the equivalent period in 2024.

On 11 July, the Greek Parliament approved a three-month asylum suspension on arrivals from North Africa. Describing the decision as “difficult but necessary”, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that the aim of the measure was to send a strong message to both human trafficking networks and to people considering the journey. “Greece is not an open transit route,” he said, adding: “The journey is dangerous, the outcome uncertain, and the money paid to smugglers is ultimately wasted. Illegal entry will not lead to legal residence”. Mitsotakis also stated that the suspension would help to prevent the Libya-Greece route from becoming a major migration path and pledged that his government would do everything possible to deter people attempting to seek asylum from entering the country.

The Greek asylum ban has received criticism from international, European and national human rights bodies. Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty has warned that suspending asylum procedures and enabling forced returns would “legalise returning people to face a risk of torture and other serious violations, in breach of obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, the 1951 Refugee Convention, and other key human rights treaties”. Elsewhere, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has expressed “deep concern” over the new law and highlighted that border management must always comply with international and European law, even at times of increased numbers of arrivals. In addition, a group of more than 70 NGOs, including ECRE member organisations Refugee Support Aegean, the Greek Council for Refugees and ECRE, have published a joint statement in which they denounce the legislation as “unlawful and impermissible”. The signatories have also called on the Greek government to promptly withdraw the law and have urged the European Commission (EC) to take decisive action to enforce EU law and prevent ongoing violations of the rights of people seeking asylum.

Despite the widespread opposition to Greece’s asylum suspension, the EC does not appear to be particularly concerned. Spokesperson for Internal Affairs, Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law Markus Lammert described Greece’s action as “exceptional” and cited the security issues and migration flows that had been discussed at the latest European Council summit. “Any measures taken by Greece have to be understood against this backdrop,” he said. He also stated that the EC would be willing to increase its financial and operational support to Greece.

The Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) has raised concerns about the increasingly hostile political and public discourse surrounding people on the move in Greece. The RVRN, which was established by the Greek National Commission for Human Rights and UNHCR, has reported that political leaders, political parties and public authorities have used derogatory terms, including “invasion”, “clandestine” and “population replacement” to describe the rise in arrivals. It has highlighted that this type of language portrays refugees and migrants as a societal threat, fuels fear, undermines social cohesion and contributes to a rise in racist violence. The RVRN has also called on political leaders, institutional representatives and the media to promote a public dialogue on migration and asylum that is “evidence-based, measured, and rooted in the principles of international law and respect for the human dignity of all”.

Cypriot authorities have reported that they deported 223 third-country nationals between 7 and 13 July. According to police data, 6,737 individuals have been repatriated through both voluntary and forced return procedures so far in 2025, up from 5,558 during the same period in 2024. Separately, on 7 July, the Cypriot NGO Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism (KISA) reported that a minor refugee had been held at the one of the island’s airport for four days. According KISA, Cyprus Police prevented the child’s uncle from visiting him and refused to process his asylum application.

Italian authorities reportedly waited for almost two days before issuing an emergency alert for a boat in distress in March 2024. According to the EUobserver news agency, despite receiving a notification from the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the Italian coastguard neither responded to it directly nor issued a distress call until approximately 40 hours later. The boat, which was carrying approximately 80 passengers, was eventually located “days later” by the Ocean Viking rescue ship whose crew reported that at least 60 people had died “as a result of the delayed response”.

On 8 July, Italy’s highest court rejected a legal challenge against the detention of humanitarian rescue ships. The challenge to the 2023 Piantedosi Decree had been initiated by the NGO SOS MEDITERRANEE following the detention in early 2024 of its Ocean Viking rescue vessel. Commenting on the court ruling, the NGO stated that although the court had upheld the Italian government’s right to detain NGO rescue ships, it had also clarified that national orders “should be compliant with international laws and regulations” and that “any order conflicting with the fundamental duty to save lives is not legally binding, and refusing to comply cannot be punished”.

Italy’s Tribunal of Ministers is considering bringing criminal charges against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other ministers and senior officials over the release and subsequent deportation of a Libyan general who is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Besides Meloni, Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi, Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio and Undersecretary of State Alfredo Mantovano, may also face charges, including dereliction of duty relating to the government’s decision to release and deport Osama Almasri Najim in January. Tribunal documents have shown that Nordio’s chief of staff, Giusi Bartolozzi, was informed of the suspect’s arrest on the afternoon of 19 January. This contradicts the government’s statements that the ministry only learned of the case later, leaving “no time to act”. Responding to this revelation, opposition leaders have demanded Nordio’s resignation and called for Meloni to address parliament over what they have described as a “politically orchestrated operation”.

The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has published a report on its periodic visit to Malta in 2023. In the report, which was published on 10 July, the CPT acknowledged improvements in both open and closed migrant centres, particularly in areas such as psychological support and reintegration planning. However, it also described the overall environment in the centres as “carceral” and highlighted a number of concerns, including a widespread lack of meaningful activities for detainees, limited access to medical care and legal assistance, reports of excessive use of force by detention staff and prolonged periods of detention –especially for vulnerable people, including minors. The authors also stressed that the Maltese government had to take “concrete actions” to ensure the humane treatment of foreign nationals in immigration detention and to uphold proper standards of care. The report has been welcomed by ECRE member organisations the aditus Foundation and Jesuit Refugee Service Malta. “The report confirms many of the concerns we have been raising for several years regarding the treatment of detained persons in Malta. It validates our long-standing calls for urgent reform in Malta’s detention policies and practices, and we urge the authorities to act swiftly and transparently on its recommendations,” they wrote in a joint press statement.

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