Greek official accuses EU of policy failure on migration as war and climate change fuel displacement

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A Greek official on Tuesday criticized the outgoing European Commission for failing to forge a common policy to deport migrants, and she warned that war and climate change were increasing global displacement.

Sofia Voultepsi, a deputy minister for migration, said that a landmark European Union migration pact agreed upon earlier this year remained lacking in practical terms.

“We got the (agreement), but the basic piece is still missing: Returns,” Voultepsi told a conference near Athens. “We must have a common system for asylum, a common system for returns, and a common system for integration.”

Wars in the Middle East and Africa, combined with the effects of climate change, she said, would put Europe under continuous long-term pressure.

The new EU migration pact is due to take effect in mid-2026 following a new round of negotiations with the bloc's 27 member states that are expected to last about a year.

Voultepsi expressed alarm at the growing number of refugees in Lebanon because of ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeting the militant group Hezbollah, and added: “Countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and South Sudan ... are affected by both war and climate change, creating an ever-growing flow of migrants towards Europe.”

Greece is a major entry point for migrants into the European Union, with most crossing from Turkey and Libya in unsafe boats.

The coast guard on Tuesday said that 81 migrants were rescued from a stranded vessel traveling from Turkey to Italy.

The incident occurred on Sunday, and the rescue was carried out with the assistance of two merchant vessels. The rescued migrants, who were taken late Monday to the southern Greek port of Kalamata, told Greek authorities they had paid $8,500 each for the trip. Four of the passengers were arrested on smuggling charges.

Elsewhere in Europe, an Italian navy ship was expected to dock at an Albanian port with a first group of 16 migrants who were intercepted in international waters. Their asylum applications will be processed in Albania instead of in Italy, under a five-year agreement between the two countries.

In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum. The new migration policy was presented at Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. If adopted, it would require approval from the parliament, where Tusk’s coalition government has a majority, and from conservative President Andrzej Duda.

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