The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, participated in the informal meeting of the European Union Ministers and Immigration, which takes place in Copenhagen.

During his intervention, Mr Plevris presented the new bill of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum on illegal immigration, which has been put into public consultation since last week. Specific reference was made to basic provisions of the legislation, such as imposing prison sentence, reduction of benefits and the ability of electronic surveillance for illegally entering.

Mr Plevris supported the creation of closed structures outside the EU border, while also stressing the need to reinforce returns, in full alignment with the overall strategy of the Greek government implemented by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to address illegal immigration.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the minister had bilateral contacts with his counterparts from Austria, France and Germany, as well as with a Frontex delegation. The discussions dominated the need to more effectively guard the external borders and the creation of disincentives over illegal immigration.

It is noteworthy that the new Greek bill has caused particular interest among the partners, as it is characterized as the stricter EU level. This has led to a variety of demands for bilateral meetings with the minister, with the aim of better understanding the new framework.