A comprehensive meeting was held at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum to address the management of increased migration flows to Crete. The meeting was chaired by Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, with participants including Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister and Rethymno MP Yiannis Kefalogiannis, Migration and Asylum Deputy Minister and Chania MP Sevi Voloudaki, Crete Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, and Rethymno Mayor and President of the Crete Regional Development Agency Giorgos Marinakis.
Minister Plevris presented the interventions that have been planned to ease the situation, emphasizing that the government is implementing prevention, surveillance and reception measures with respect to the country’s international obligations and the goal of protecting local communities.
Kefalogiannis: Crete cannot be transformed into a management field without a plan and equal distribution of responsibilities
For his part, Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis called for close coordination with Local Government, noting that: “Crete cannot be transformed into a management field without a plan and equal distribution of responsibilities. Addressing such phenomena requires seriousness, institutional cooperation and foresight. We cannot operate after the fact. We need solutions that protect the social fabric and honor the history and role of Crete.”
During the meeting, there was an update on the creation of an appropriate reception and identification facility for migrants in Crete, which will meet the necessary standards for humane accommodation, without – at this stage – determining the character or duration of its operation.
Both Minister Plevris and Minister Kefalogiannis emphasized that the phenomenon of increased pressure on Crete’s shores is part of a broader pattern of instrumentalization of migration by international networks, as has occurred at various times in Italy, Spain, the Baltic, or even at Greece’s borders in Evros. The ministry notes that the country’s response remains steady: national strategy, institutional coordination and full prevention of any attempt to exploit the phenomenon.
The meeting also addressed the issue of systematic financial support for Local Government, in order to cover the increased costs of food, accommodation and management of emergency needs that have arisen recently in Crete.
