Migration Minister Thanos Plevris defended during a speech to Parliament the three-month suspension of asylum applications for migrants entering Greece illegally by sea from North Africa.

He said that the amendment, which came into effect on July 9, has already reduced irregular arrivals.

According to data presented by Plevris, in the first half of 2025, illegal entries from Libya to Crete reached 10,000. In the week immediately before the suspension of asylum applications, 2,642 people entered the country irregularly.

After the measure took effect, from July 10 to the end of the month, 913 people arrived. In the first 27 days of August, arrivals dropped further to fewer than 500.

Plevris added that before the suspension, smuggling networks were encouraging migrants to head toward Greece rather than Italy, stressing that Greece had to respond by strengthening its legislation.

Opposition parties criticized the measure, with PASOK arguing that the legislation is ineffective and intended purely for domestic consumption, while SYRIZA claimed it violates the Constitution and the rule of law.