Overview

• Germany has directed federal states to restart deportations of non-vulnerable refugees to Greece, focusing on young, healthy, single men while excluding families, women, children, and vulnerable groups.
• The policy follows an April 16 ruling by the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, which found that non-vulnerable migrants would not face inhumane or degrading conditions upon return to Greece.
• The plan includes voluntary departure incentives, benefit cuts, and forced deportations to ensure compliance, with affected individuals kept in initial reception centers to streamline the process.
• Greece has rejected further returns without equitable EU burden-sharing, with Migration Minister Makis Voridis reiterating the country's stance against accepting more deportees under current conditions.
• In 2024, Germany filed over 15,000 take-back requests with Greece, of which only 219 were accepted, and just 22 transfers were completed, highlighting ongoing challenges in enforcement.