Greece Deploys Navy to Block New Libya Migrant Route, Secures EU Backing

10:09 27/6/2025 - Πηγή: iEfimerida

Greece has deployed naval vessels to international waters off Libya to intercept a new migrant smuggling route to Crete, and has secured the European Union’s backing for a diplomatic mission to pressure Libyan authorities to stop the flow, according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Speaking after an EU leaders' summit in Brussels, Mr. Mitsotakis

said the unilateral action was necessary to prevent a new, permanent migration corridor into Europe. 

The move follows a sharp increase in migrant arrivals on Crete and the smaller island of Gavdos from eastern Libya in recent weeks.

“We are using every tool available — both carrot and stick — to ensure this new route does not become entrenched,” Mr. Mitsotakis told reporters. He noted that most migrants on this route are Egyptian nationals who, under EU policy, are not typically eligible for asylum and should be returned.

The prime minister confirmed he had successfully raised the issue at the summit. 

As a result, the EU’s Commissioner for Migration will travel to Libya in early July, accompanied by government ministers from Greece, Italy, and Malta, to demand more effective border surveillance.

The naval deployment is intended to serve as a deterrent and allow for the early detection of smuggling boats, which would then be redirected back toward Libya in coordination with local authorities.

In a related diplomatic success for Athens, the official summit conclusions reaffirmed the EU’s long-standing position that the 2019 maritime border agreement between Turkey and Libya is “null and void” and infringes on the sovereign rights of other nations.

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Greece Deploys Navy,Block New Libya Migrant Route Secures EU Backing