Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Germany will suspend the return of asylum seekers to Greece until mid-next year. This decision comes as part of an agreement between Greece and Germany pending the entry into force of amendments to European migration law on 12 June 2026.
Dobrindt noted that Germany will process asylum applications submitted by arrivals from Greece until June 2026, saying, “As part of a comprehensive settlement, we will no longer attempt to carry out these transfers; instead, we will conduct the asylum procedures here in Germany.” He had stated days earlier in Brussels, “We have reached an agreement with Greece and Italy under which they will take back migrants who entered the European Union through their territories.”
The federal minister emphasized that the agreement with Greece applies only to asylum seekers. This means that Germany will continue to deport individuals who already hold refugee or protection status in Greece. Over recent years, many refugees in Greece have entered Germany in search of better opportunities or because they have family ties there.
Greece has announced that it has reached an agreement with Germany and several EU member states under which Greece will not accept the return of asylum seekers who entered Europe via Greek territory.
In return, Greece has pledged to intensify protection of the European Union’s external borders. Germany has previously agreed with several European countries to form a “solidarity group” to address irregular migration, under which European states agreed to accept 21,000 asylum seekers from Greece as part of efforts to redistribute the burden of migration.
Amendments to European migration law are scheduled to enter into force on 12 June 2026. Under the new system, Germany will return asylum seekers to the European countries they first entered, with the exception of Italy and Greece.
