Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is advocating a tougher European response to migration crises as migration policy again moves to the center of discussions in Brussels.
The Greek government is using an extraordinary meeting of European Union interior and migration ministers, convened following the recent crisis in Ceuta, to outline its positions at the European level while also addressing domestic political concerns.
In an op-ed published by Politico, Mitsotakis argues in favor of a hard line toward migration crises, highlighting what he describes as the instrumentalization of migration flows. He says such movements can take on the characteristics of a hybrid threat when encouraged by state actors seeking to advance political objectives and exert pressure.
Athens is seeking to use the recent crisis centered on the Spanish enclave in North Africa to push for a stricter EU migration policy and for the creation of European mechanisms that would be activated during similar emergencies.
The government points to Greece’s recent experience with migration pressure. During the 2020 crisis at the Evros border, conditions emerged that Athens viewed as a hybrid attack amid a prolonged effort at mass crossings. Greece also faced new challenges in the summer of 2025, when migration pressure increased along the maritime route linking eastern Libya with Gavdos and Crete.
