Athens, Greece: Today marks ten years since the EU–Turkey Statement, which has profoundly shaped migration and asylum policy in Greece and across Europe.
Built on the designation of Turkey as a “safe third country,” the statement enabled the return of asylum seekers from the Greek islands under a “one-for-one” mechanism: for every Syrian returned, another would be resettled to the EU. In practice, however, returns have effectively been suspended since March 2020.
Over the past decade, there have been serious concerns raised by legal experts, as well as documented violations of fundamental rights. These include restricted access to territory, barriers within asylum procedures, and inadequate living conditions. Thousands of people have been left stranded on the Eastern Aegean islands, in overcrowded facilities lacking basic standards of safety and hygiene.
HIAS Greece, through its presence in Lesvos and alongside other organizations operating on the islands, has witnessed these consequences firsthand. The Moria Reception and Identification Center became a stark symbol of systemic failure — widely condemned as a disgrace for both Greece and Europe.
A decade on, most “hotspots” have been replaced by Closed Controlled Access Centers, while new EU proposals promote “return hubs” and further expand the use of the “safe third country” concept.
These developments deepen the EU’s shift toward the externalization of migration policy — moving responsibility beyond its borders and increasingly tying migration management to geopolitical interests, rather than to consistent values and legal obligations.
For further information, please contact Chrisa Giannopoulou at chrisa.giannopoulou@hias.org.
