The mayors of Crete are planning a meeting to discuss increased migration pressures on the southern Aegean island on Friday, amid mounting concerns over a surge in arrivals and uncertainty surrounding the government’s plans for managing the inflows, Cretalive reported on Thursday.
The president of the Union of Municipalities of Crete and mayor of Rethymno, Giorgios Marinakis, told the local news website that migrant arrivals during the first five months of 2026 have already exceeded levels recorded during the first half of 2025. Recent data show that some 6,000 people have reached Crete from the Tobruk area of eastern Libya alone so far this year, accounting for about half of all migrant arrivals in Greece.
Earlier on Thursday, a boat carrying 38 migrants was intercepted 22 nautical miles southwest of Gavdos, a small island lying off Crete’s southern coast, after another 200 reached Crete on Wednesday.
The island’s mayors are also expected to review a draft bill being prepared by the Migration and Asylum Ministry. According to Marinakis, the legislation would introduce a fast-track screening process aimed at determining within seven days whether new arrivals qualify for asylum or should face deportation.
