The Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum, participated in the Council of Ministers of the Interior and Migration of the European Union, in Luxembourg, where, among others, Ministers discussed the possibilities for voluntary returns of Syrians and the new Return Regulation.
During his intervention, the Greek Minister referred to Greece's position on returns, which constitutes the country's first priority. He stressed that he supports both voluntary and forced returns, calling for the strengthening of joint return procedures through FRONTEX and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Referring to the Return Regulation under development, Mr. Plevris pointed out that Greece has already incorporated relevant provisions into its national law, noting that “our policy is now clearly reflected in the doctrine of ‘prison or return.’” As he mentioned, the country has criminalized illegal residence, with a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years, and the first positive results in terms of returns are already being recorded.
On the sidelines of the Council, Mr. Plevris had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Sweden, Bulgaria and the Netherlands, during which they exchanged views on current developments in the European Union's migration policy.