Joint Statement Suspension of Access to Asylum

The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn

Athens, 16July 2025: We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn the unlawful and impermissible legislative provision adopted by the Hellenic Parliament on Friday 11 July 2025 (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025) which imposes a three-month suspension on the making of asylum applications for people arriving in Greece from North Africa and orders their immediate deportation without registration.

The right to seek asylum and protection from refoulement are fundamental principles that may never be restricted. Both are enshrined in international and EU law instruments that supersede any domestic legislative provision, as already highlighted by reputable institutions at Greek and international level, including the Greek Ombudsman, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Union of Greek Administrative Judges, the Plenary of Greek Bar Associations, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and UNHCR.

We call on the Greek government to immediately withdraw this unlawful legislative provision and on the European Commission to take urgent measures to enforce EU law and to immediately put an end to its infringement, in line with its responsibilities under the Treaties.

Αθήνα, 16 Ιουλίου 2025: Οι υπογράφουσες οργανώσεις της Κοινωνίαςτων Πολιτών καταδικάζουμε ως παράνομη και ανεπίτρεπτη τη νομοθετική διάταξη πουψηφίστηκε από τη Βουλή την Παρασκευή 11 Ιουλίου 2025 (άρθρο 79 Ν 5218/2025), μετην οποία αναστέλλεται για τρεις μήνες η υποβολή αιτήσεων ασύλου από ανθρώπουςπου φτάνουν στη χώρα από τη Βόρεια Αφρική και προβλέπεται η άμεση απέλασή τουςαπό τη χώρα χωρίς καταγραφή.

Οι θεμελιώδεις αρχές του δικαιώματος πρόσβασης στοάσυλο και της προστασίας από την επαναπροώθηση δεν επιδέχονται κανένανπεριορισμό. Κατοχυρώνονται σε υπερνομοθετικής ισχύος κείμενα διεθνούς καιενωσιακού δικαίου που υπερισχύουν κάθε εθνικής διάταξης νόμου, όπως έχει ήδηεπισημανθεί από έγκριτα θεσμικά όργανα στην Ελλάδα και διεθνώς, μεταξύ τωνοποίων ο Συνήγορος του Πολίτη, η Εθνική Επιτροπή για τα Δικαιώματα τουΑνθρώπου, η Ένωση Διοικητικών Δικαστών, η Ολομέλεια Δικηγορικών Συλλόγων Ελλάδος, ο Επίτροπος Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων τουΣυμβουλίου της Ευρώπηςκαι η Ύπατη Αρμοστεία του ΟΗΕ για τους Πρόσφυγες.

Καλούμε την Ελληνική Κυβέρνηση να αποσύρει άμεσατην παράνομη αυτή νομοθετική ρύθμιση και την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή να λάβει επιτακτικάμέτρα για την επιβολή του ενωσιακού δικαίου και την άμεση άρση της παραβίασης,σύμφωνα με τις καταστατικές ευθύνες της.

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DATE

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

To

Subject

The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn

Athens, 16July 2025: We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn the unlawful and impermissible legislative provision adopted by the Hellenic Parliament on Friday 11 July 2025 (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025) which imposes a three-month suspension on the making of asylum applications for people arriving in Greece from North Africa and orders their immediate deportation without registration.

The right to seek asylum and protection from refoulement are fundamental principles that may never be restricted. Both are enshrined in international and EU law instruments that supersede any domestic legislative provision, as already highlighted by reputable institutions at Greek and international level, including the Greek Ombudsman, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Union of Greek Administrative Judges, the Plenary of Greek Bar Associations, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and UNHCR.

We call on the Greek government to immediately withdraw this unlawful legislative provision and on the European Commission to take urgent measures to enforce EU law and to immediately put an end to its infringement, in line with its responsibilities under the Treaties.

1. Action for Women

2. aditus foundation

3. Albanian Migrants Association "Mother Teresa"

4. Amnesty International

5. Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (ARCI)

6. Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI)

7. Avocats Sans Frontières France

8. Boat Refugee Foundation

9. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

10. Changemakers Lab

11. Collective Aid

12. Cyprus Refugee Council (CyRC)

13. Defence for Children International Greece

14. Diotima Centre

15. Doctors Without Borders – Greek Section

16. Dynamo International Social Street Workers Network

17. ECHO100PLUS

18. Emantes – International LGBTQIA+ Solidarity

19. EmpowerVan

20. Equal Legal Aid (ELA)

21. Equal Rights Beyond Borders

22. EuroMed Rights

23. European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

24. European Lawyers in Lesvos (ELIL)

25. Faros

26. Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid

27. Fondation pour la Promotion des Droits en Algérie

28. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)

29. Greek Forum of Migrants

30. Greek Forum of Refugees

31. Greek Housing Network

32. Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR)

33. HIAS Greece

34. Human Rights Association (IHD)

35. Human Rights Watch (HRW)

36. The HOME Project

37. Human Rights Legal Project

38. I Have Rights

39. InterEuropean Human Aid Association

40. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

41. International Rescue Committee (IRC) Hellas

42. INTERSOS HELLAS

43. Irida Women’s Centre

44. Iridia Association - Centre for the Defence of Humans Rights

45. Ithaca Laundry

46. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe

47. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece

48. Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Portugal

49. KISA Action for Equality, Support, Antiracism

50. Legal Centre Lesvos

51. Lighthouse Relief

52. Médecins du Monde International

53. Migrant Voice

54. Mobile Info Team

55. Network for Children’s Rights

56. Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)

57. Pope John XXIII Community

58. PRAKSIS

59. PRO ASYL

60. Project Armonia

61. Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)

62. Refugees International

63. Refugees Welcome, Denmark

64. Safe Passage International Greece

65. Samos Volunteers

66. Save the Children

67. Second Tree

68. Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes España

69. Symbiosis-Council of Europe School of Political Studies

70. Terre des hommes Hellas

71. Velos Youth Centre

72. Vouliwatch

Co-signed by