Greece Ends Blanket Asylum for Syrians, Begins Rejecting Claims

17:04 8/7/2025 - Πηγή: iEfimerida

Greece has begun rejecting asylum applications from some Syrian nationals for the first time since the country's civil war began in 2011, a major policy reversal that signals a new, tougher stance following the fall of the Assad regime six months ago.

The move ends more than a decade of Greece providing near-automatic protection to Syrians fleeing the conflict. According to officials, the first negative decisions are now being issued, primarily targeting single men from areas of Syria now considered to be stable.

“Greece was the first European country to freeze Syrian asylum applications after Assad’s fall and to carefully review them, signaling that we will not tolerate abuse of international protection,” Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said in a statement.

He confirmed that asylum requests are now being evaluated based on individual circumstances and that return procedures could be initiated for those whose claims are rejected.

Since 2011, Greece has granted refugee status to more than 147,000 Syrians, who, along with Afghans, remain one of the largest asylum-seeking populations in the country. 

The government has also announced it will begin reviewing previously granted refugee statuses in the coming months and may revoke protection if the original grounds for asylum no longer apply.

The policy shift makes Greece the second European Union member state, after Cyprus, to begin rejecting Syrian asylum claims based on the changed political situation in Damascus.

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