With the aim of enhancing cooperation with the country’s authorities to effectively manage migration, the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, is accompanied by the EU Commissioner for Migration and Internal Affairs, with the EU. Brunner.

The European mission includes the Maltese and Italian interior ministers and will arrive in Libya for talks with officials in the country, both by the internationally recognized government of Tripoli and the Haftar’s side in Benghazi.

The aim of the European mission is to coordinate with local authorities to prevent illegal migratory flows, which have been increasing with geometric progress lately, but also to improve procedures.

According to ministry sources in RES-EIA, the visit aims not only for power promotion but to the actual hand cooperation with the Libyan authoritiesin order to check the flows.

In addition, the same sources say, this mission is part of a broader diplomatic and migratory strategy of the Greek government to enhance Libya cooperation with Libya. restriction of irregular migratory flows to Greece.

At the same time, it is part of a wider Greece strategy to enhance cooperation with countries of origin and crossing immigrants, with the aim of effectively managing migration and protecting EU border.

Migration pressure from Libya to Crete not It is a new phenomenon but is gradually intensified since September 2023so the first flows began to appear. From an average of 120 arrivals per month, the numbers increased rapidly, reaching 528 in February 2024. The year ended with an average of 400 arrivals per month and a total of 4,820 arriving.

The escalation continued in 2025, with arrivals already amounting to 7,124 people by June 30, according to Port Authority. In particular, June set a new record with 2,564 arrivals in a month.

It is characteristic that on Sunday, it was noted record number refugees/immigrants from the coast of Libya, with 959 people to land Within one day and hundreds of more people were on the island on Monday.

As the European Commission President, Ursula von der Layen, characteristically stated, in a letter to 27 in late June, “Illegal crossings to the European Union now come by 93% from Libya.”

Due to the worsening of the situation and suffocating pressure on the island, by order of the Prime Minister, Kyriakou Mitsotakisfrom the end of June, Navy ships are now operating in international watersin the 12 nautical miles off the Libyan coast, in order to assist actively to prevent flows, but the situation remains extremely difficult.