Plevris in Munich proposes new EU mechanism for border crises and “return hubs” in third countries

Greek Migration Minister Thanos Plevris took part in the Munich Conference on Migration Policy and in the meeting of the migration ministers of five European Union countries within the so-called “Core Group”, as reported by ProtoThema.

According to the same source, the talks focused on protecting the EU’s external borders, on returns, and on implementing the new European Pact on Asylum and Migration.

Plevris presented Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s initiative to create an integrated EU crisis-management mechanism at the external borders, for cases when migration flows are instrumentalized as a hybrid threat, seeking the support of member states. The proposal, ProtoThema reports, is expected to be detailed at the upcoming Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

The Greek minister also proposed creating “regional return hubs” in third countries and stronger support for the Frontex agency. During his stay in Munich, Plevris also met European Commissioner Magnus Brunner, ProtoThema reports.