A meeting was held on Friday afternoon at the Ministry of Migration and Asylum on managing the increased migration flows to Crete. The meeting, chaired by Minister of Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris, was attended, among others, by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Yannis Kefalogiannis.
Plevris presented the interventions that have been launched to alleviate the migration flows.

Kefalogiannis stressed the need for close coordination with local government. "Dealing with such phenomena requires seriousness, institutional cooperation, and foresight. We cannot operate after the fact. We need solutions that protect the social fabric and honour the history and role of Crete."

Information was also provided on the creation of an appropriate structure for the reception and identification of migrants in Crete, which will meet the necessary standards of humane accommodation.

During the meeting, it was stressed that the increased pressure on the coast of Crete is part of a broader pattern of instrumentalisation of the migration issue by international networks, as has occurred from time to time in Italy, Spain, the Baltic Sea, or even at Greece’s borders in the Evros region. It was also pointed out that Greece’s response remains firm: a national strategy, institutional coordination, and complete prevention of any attempt to exploit the phenomenon.

The meeting also raised the issue of financial support for local authorities to provide the necessary funding for feeding, accommodating, and managing the emergency needs that have arisen in Crete.