Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris declared upon his arrival at the Informal Council of Interior and Migration Ministers in Copenhagen that “the deportation of illegal migrants must be our top priority.”
Specifically, he emphasized that “our message must be clear. If you enter Europe illegally or your asylum application is rejected, you have no right to remain in Europe and must return to your country.”
Full statements from Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris
Journalist: How will the Return hubs operate?
Thanos Plevris: That’s our discussion. They must be established outside Europe. Not only outside the European Union, but outside Europe entirely, and we must strengthen these third countries (where they will be established).
Journalist: How will you ensure that your radical solutions remain aligned with European legislation and how far are you willing to go?
Thanos Plevris: This is a challenge. It’s a very good question. We have a lot of work to do, but for our society, the flows of illegal migrants are enormous. I cannot say we can manage them. In Crete, we have thousands of illegal migrants every day trying to reach Greece, and in Libya, we have 3 million. This means we must find solutions within a European framework, but also within our societies.
Journalist: How do you plan to change the law to fulfill your promises? Are you willing to change European legislation?
Thanos Plevris: Yes, we must find new opportunities. If we need to change legislation, we will discuss it. In Greece, we will have a new law now. This law states that if your asylum application is rejected and you don’t return to your country, this constitutes a criminal offense and you face 2 to 5 years in prison. So the message is: If you are illegally in our country, you have two options. Prison, or deportation.
