Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has underscored the need for the European Union to develop mechanisms for effectively managing emergency migration crises — such as the one Greece faced at the Evros border in 2020 and, more recently, Spain experienced in Ceuta — in an op-ed published in Politico. In his piece, published just ahead of Tuesday’s emergency videoconference of European ministers, the Prime Minister warns that “the European Union is increasingly confronted with a more insidious form of hybrid pressure: the deliberate weaponization of migration by state and non-state actors seeking to test Europe’s resilience, undermine its cohesion, and extract political concessions.”
While acknowledging that “the EU has made significant progress on this issue with the Pact on Migration and Asylum,” Mitsotakis cautions that “these tools were designed for situations that remain, at their core, manageable. They do not adequately address scenarios where migration is used as a weapon, or where migratory flows are organized, amplified, or facilitated in ways that create a de facto hybrid threat.”
Against this backdrop, the Greek Prime Minister calls in his Politico op-ed for “a dedicated European framework to address situations of mass and weaponized migratory pressure, with clear and objective activation criteria.”
Elaborating on what such a mechanism should include, Kyriakos Mitsotakis states that beyond “accelerated asylum procedures, which must continue to form part of the toolkit — especially for individuals coming from countries with low international protection recognition rates” — member states should have the ability, “within a dedicated EU emergency regime, to temporarily suspend the lodging of asylum applications by new arrivals, while proceeding with the rapid return of those not entitled to stay, in full compliance with the European Union’s legal obligations.”
The Prime Minister concludes his article by asserting that “the European Union must now equip itself with the legal and operational tools needed to defend its external borders, deter those who seek to exploit its open nature, and respond to this new reality with determination, legality, and collective action.”
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ full op-ed in Politico
Europe’s security environment has fundamentally changed.
Beyond conventional military threats and cyberattacks, the European Union is increasingly confronted with a more insidious form of hybrid pressure: the deliberate weaponization of migration by state and non-state actors seeking to test Europe’s resilience, undermine its cohesion, and extract political concessions.
Recent events at Europe’s borders — most notably at the Spanish enclave of Ceuta — serve as yet another reminder that migration is no longer solely a humanitarian issue or a management challenge. In certain instances, it has become a tool of geopolitical coercion.
The EU has made significant progress on this issue with the Pact on Migration and Asylum. It has established mechanisms to manage migratory pressures, including procedural flexibility and solidarity among member states. Yet these tools were designed for situations that remain, at their core, manageable. They do not adequately address scenarios where migration is used as a weapon, or where migratory flows are organized, amplified, or facilitated in ways that create a de facto hybrid threat.
To be sure, we do not yet know what triggered the situation that unfolded in Ceuta last week. But similar scenarios are not without precedent.
Greece faced an analogous situation on its land border with Turkey at the Evros river in 2020, as did Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia on their borders with Belarus in 2021. What we observe in these cases is not a gradual uptick in arrivals, but sudden, mass, and often coordinated movements of people — sometimes tens of thousands within just a few days — that overwhelm national capacities and test the overall resilience of the European Union.
Under these extreme conditions, the immediate and full application of standard asylum and reception systems for all arrivals is not merely difficult — it is often impossible. Systems risk becoming paralyzed, public trust erodes, and the very functioning of the Schengen area comes under strain.
Europe must recognize this gap and act decisively.
A dedicated European framework is needed to address situations of mass and weaponized migratory pressure, with clear and objective activation criteria. These criteria should combine quantitative elements — such as the scale and speed of arrivals relative to a country’s capacity — with qualitative indicators, such as evidence of coordination, facilitation, or involvement by third countries or organized criminal networks.
Once triggered, within a specifically defined EU emergency regime, such a mechanism could allow for temporary, proportionate, and strictly supervised adjustments to standard procedures. Accelerated asylum procedures must also continue to form part of the toolkit, particularly for individuals coming from countries with low international protection recognition rates.
However, this alone is not enough.
Europe must be honest about the limits of fast-track asylum procedures. In clearly defined exceptional cases of extreme and disproportionate pressure — whether at land borders or following mass maritime arrivals — member states should have the ability, within a dedicated EU emergency regime, to temporarily suspend the lodging of asylum applications by new arrivals, while proceeding with the rapid return of those not entitled to stay, in full compliance with the European Union’s legal obligations.
This does not represent a departure from Europe’s values, but a necessary adaptation to new realities.
Furthermore, any such measures must be strictly temporary, proportionate, and accompanied by robust safeguards. Full respect for EU law, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and the principle of non-refoulement remains non-negotiable. At the same time, compliance with international obligations must go hand in hand with the EU’s capacity to protect its borders and preserve its internal stability.
It is also of crucial importance that this balance cannot be maintained without genuine European solidarity. No member state facing this kind of pressure should be left to cope alone. Operational support from EU agencies, coordinated return efforts, and financial and technical assistance must be automatically activated whenever such a mechanism is put in place.
Without such a framework, the risks are clear. Frontline countries remain exposed, the incentives for hostile actors to exploit migration for geopolitical ends grow stronger, and internal divisions within the Union deepen. Most importantly, public confidence in Europe’s ability to manage its borders effectively, fairly, and collectively will continue to erode.
Europe has always adapted to changing circumstances. Migration is no exception. And recognizing that it can be used as a weapon is not alarmism — it is realism.
The European Union must now equip itself with the legal and operational tools needed to defend its external borders, deter those who seek to exploit its open nature, and respond to this new reality with determination, legality, and collective action.
