By Pieter Cleppe, The Critic
Image: Unsplash
Slowly but surely, the European migration debate is changing
In her “State of the Union” speech, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen announced a new migration initiative following the Ceuta crisis in Spain, whereby EU member states would be given more flexibility to respond to sudden mass arrivals. In particular, she announced her institution would propose a so-called “European Emergency Response” Instrument will deal with mass movements of migrants. She specified:
It will only be triggered under a strictly defined set of criteria. And in those cases, it will allow for a time limited and strictly defined flexibility of standard procedures.
Reportedly, the Greek government has been pushing firmly for this, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis demanding new rules to suspend asylum last month. For now, there are few details about the new EU arrangement, as the EU Commission has also declined to answer requests for more insight.
In 2025, Greece suspended asylum for three months for anyone arriving in Greece from North Africa by sea. The European Commission did not respond after being pressed on the legality of this — apart from stating that Greece was facing “an exceptional situation.”
It goes to show that the current legal framework to deal with asylum — and migration more broadly — may need an update. Yes, asylum applications are down sharply, but still around 200.000 people illegally entered the European Union in 2025. As a result, anti-establishment parties continue to secure successes across the EU.