Overview

• Greece’s Parliament has approved a three-month suspension of asylum applications for migrants arriving by sea from North Africa.
• Under the new law, migrants who do not leave will face up to five years in prison and will be confined in designated centers before return.
• The legislation overrides EU non-punitive return rules established by Directive 2008/115 and a 2011 CJEU judgment.
• Athens said the measure responds to a June surge of crossings—16,800 arrivals this year, including 7,500 on Crete—and a Libyan rejection of an EU mission.
• The United Nations denounced the suspension as a breach of fundamental rights, and Brussels may challenge the law’s legality.