The German government has announced progress in its ongoing negotiations with Greek authorities regarding the return of migrants who first applied for asylum in Greece before traveling to Germany. These are known as ‘Dublin returns,’ under the EU’s Dublin Regulation, which mandates that migrants be returned to the first EU country they entered if they have already started the asylum process there.
A German government spokesperson confirmed on March 19 that the talks are at an advanced stage, with hopes that the hurdles preventing the return of these migrants to Greece will soon be removed. This optimism follows the recent appointment of Maikis Voridis, a right-wing politician, as Greece’s new Minister for Migration and Asylum.
Despite the challenges, Germany has been intensively working on speeding up Dublin returns. This includes the establishment of special Dublin deportation centers. In 2024, Germany recorded at least 21,110 asylum applications from individuals who had entered the EU via Greece, many of whom are subject to return under Dublin rules.
The German legal system has faced hurdles in returning migrants to Greece, with a court ruling in 2024 that returning migrants might be “unreasonable” due to Greece’s accommodation and support difficulties. However, recent data from Germany shows that a significant number of migrants initially transferred to other EU countries under the Dublin Regulation have re-entered Germany.
The European Union’s new Asylum and Migration Pact, set to roll out next year, will extend the time frame for returning Dublin cases, aiming to reduce the possibility of migrants re-entering their desired destination country after being returned.
Germany is also working on protocols with Greece to facilitate the return of migrants from countries like Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, ensuring their human rights are protected upon return.
