The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council concluded its proceedings in Luxembourg on a constructive note, with the proposal to establish a “European Emergency Mechanism” to address weaponized migration pressure taking center stage. During the session, Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, presented in detail the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which, according to a statement from the ministry, secured the support of a broad majority of EU member states.
Read more: Plevris attends Munich Conference and Core Group “5” Summit — return hubs in third countries on the table
When would the “European Emergency Mechanism” on migration be triggered?
The new mechanism proposed by Greece aims to address a structural gap in the existing framework by providing immediate operational and legal protection at the EU’s external borders when migration flows are used as a hybrid threat, according to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. This Special Derogation Regime would be activated when a cumulative set of objective quantitative criteria are met — such as a rapid surge in arrivals and the overwhelming of local reception infrastructure — combined with qualitative indicators demonstrating that flows are being facilitated by third countries through state-sponsored or organized means. Once a crisis is formally certified, the mechanism would allow for the temporary suspension of asylum application processing, the implementation of fast-track return procedures, and the immediate operational deployment of Frontex, the ministry’s statement emphasized.
Thanos Plevris on migration: “Europe must be protected”
“The proposal includes activation in cases of migration weaponization, enhanced border surveillance, the suspension of asylum procedures, and immediate return operations to countries of origin or to the countries weaponizing migration,” the Minister of Migration and Asylum stated, adding: “This proposal has been welcomed by many countries, and the Commissioner has taken note of the feedback in order to bring a concrete European Commission proposal to the next Council meeting. Europe must be protected. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s proposal aims to shield Europe from mass flows of irregular migrants.”
Δήλωση μου πριν την έναρξη του Συμβουλίου Υπουργών που θα παρουσιάσω την πρόταση του @PrimeministerGR για τον έκτακτο μηχανισμό σε περιπτώσεις μεταναστευτικής κρίσης pic.twitter.com/lPVPR40Q01
— Θάνος Πλεύρης (@thanosplevris) October 1, 2026
Earlier that morning, Minister Plevris participated in a working breakfast with the five member states of the Core Group (Greece, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands), as part of their now-regular coordination meetings to align their joint strategy on establishing return hubs in third countries. On the sidelines of the Council, the minister also held bilateral meetings with IOM Director General Amy Pope, as well as with his counterparts from Belgium and Norway. Minister Plevris was accompanied by the Secretary General for Migration Policy, Nadia Papakosta, and the Director of the Asylum Service, Marios Kaleas.
