---
title: "Greece to press EU over returning illegal migrants denied asylum, says PM"
description: "Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that illegal migrants denied asylum by Greece should be returned to their country of origin, and he urged the European Union to provide a new list of \"safe countries\" to help speed up returns."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-20-greece-to-press-eu-over-returning-illegal-migrants-denied-asylum-says-pm/"
published: "2025-03-20T12:35:15"
updated: "2025-03-20T13:21:10"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 105
---

# Greece to press EU over returning illegal migrants denied asylum, says PM

> Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that illegal migrants denied asylum by Greece should be returned to their country of origin, and he urged the European Union to provide a new list of "safe countries" to help speed up returns.

By Reuters · Published 20 March 2025, 14:35 SAST · Updated 20 March 2025, 15:21 SAST

## Key points
- As Greece's Prime Minister Mitsotakis arrives at the EU summit, he eagerly anticipates a new list of "safe countries," hoping it will fast-track migration policies while the continent juggles the ongoing circus of Ukraine and defense.
- Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis expresses eagerness for a new list of safe countries of origin to expedite migration processes.
- Migration, alongside Ukraine and defence, is a key topic at the EU leaders' summit in Brussels.
- Greece faced a significant migration crisis in 2015-2016, with over a million arrivals seeking passage to northern Europe.
- Despite decreased flows, illegal migration continues to be a contentious issue across the EU.

## Content

"We're looking forward with great eagerness to the new list of safe countries of origin, so that our country can move faster in this direction," Mitsotakis said on his arrival at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.

Migration is one of the issues on the leaders' agenda, along with Ukraine and defence.

Greece was at the frontline of a migration crisis in 2015-2016, when more than one million people crossed into its territory by sea, looking to move further north in Europe.

Flows have declined since but illegal migration into the EU remains a hot political topicacross Europe.

(Reporting by Angeliki KoutantouEditing by Gareth Jones)