After reports of refugees being used in reprisals, the EU Commission called on Greece to end “violent and illegal” denials of asylum seekers. “Protecting the EU’s external borders from illegal entry is a must,” EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Twitter after conversations with several Greek government officials. “The forced and illegal deportations of migrants must stop now.”
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…Protecting the EU’s external borders against illegal entry is a must.The violent and illegal deportations of migrants must stop now.
Ministers outlined a new proposal to integrate fundamental rights into the 🇬🇷 asylum system…
— Ylva Johansson (@YlvaJohansson) June 30, 2022
Johansson recalled that the disbursement of EU funds for migration and border management is linked to the “correct application of EU fundamental rights”.
Promised residency documents
Several European media outlets reported on Tuesday that Greek police were using refugees to clamp down on the EU’s external border. Several refugees were forced to force people to return to Turkey, reports “Spiegel” and the ARD, among others. In return, residence permits were promised. According to the report, the police want to protect their own officers – rejections are considered very dangerous.
According to European law, Greece must allow asylum seekers arriving on Greek territory to apply for asylum, but it ignored this law for years. In April, the Council of Europe denounced a significant increase in illegal refusals of asylum seekers in European countries.