Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday met European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner at the Maximos Mansion in Athens.
 During the meeting, they discussed the high priority of implementing the new European Union Pact on Migration and Asylum, focusing on returns and the agreements with third countries on returns.
According to sources, the prime minister underlined that authorities in eastern Libya must take action to reduce the flow of migrants toward Greece so that a new migration route does not become established. He expressed his appreciation of the European Commission's action in this direction, as Brunner is to visit Libya on July 8, accompanied by the migration ministers of Greece, Italy and Malta.
"In recent months we have observed significant pressure on the route between eastern Libya and southern Crete and this is a problem that we must definitely get under control. We will do our part, cooperating with Libyan authorities to ensure that these boats do not even depart from the shores of Libya," Mitsotakis said.
During their meeting, Mitsotakis said that the NATO and European Council meetings had been tiring but "constructive", especially regarding issues related to migration. He noted broader support the Commission's agenda, with "an emphasis on returns, which has gained renewed focus" and said that this was also a key issue for Greece in terms of its relations with Turkiye and on better management of external challenges, particularly in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean.
Brunner thanked the prime minister for "the excellent cooperation we share," while pointing out the need to combat illegal migration but also identify legal pathways. He highlighted the work done by Greece in protecting the Greek and EU border and referred to the upcoming trip to Libya as a "Team Europe" approach, stressing the importance of showing unity.
The Commissioner also referred to pending legislative initiatives being discussed at the European level, such as the implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact. He said there was "a very good foundation" but that there are still "missing pieces, such as the Returns Regulation, as you mentioned, and the concept of a Safe Third Country, which I also believe is particularly important when it comes to combating illegal migration."