Greece could face disciplinary proceedings from Frontex, the European Union’s border agency, over its repeated pushback of migrants, media outlets reported Thursday.
Speaking to the Politico news outlet and German daily Welt, the agency’s fundamental rights officer, Jonas Grimheden, highlighted Frontex’s frustration over the matter.
Athens’ behavior leaves Frontex with two options: suspending its mission or asking the European Commission to open infringement proceedings against Greece, he said.
However, Grimheden said the first option would not best serve the agency’s mission, as oversight of Greece was necessary.
This leaves a potential appeal to the European Commission, which controls the majority of funding for Greece’s border support, he said.
“There must be some kind of punishment. The commission itself is capable of initiating infringement proceedings against a member state,” he added.
Therefore, it could link Greece’s progress on the human rights of migrants to its access to funds, Grimheden suggested.
Greece has come under increased international scrutiny and criticism from human rights groups following a migrant boat sinking in 2023 off its southern coast that killed hundreds.
In a January ruling, the European Court of Human Rights described Greece’s use of summary expulsions of migrants, or “pushbacks,” as being systematic.
Frontex is already probing several alleged human rights violations by Greece in its handling of irregular migration.
Most pushbacks occur in the Aegean Sea bordering Türkiye, which has reported numerous incidents in the past five years. Türkiye itself is a transit route for thousands of asylum-seekers looking to cross over to Greece from its western coasts.
Some migrants make dangerous journeys over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Turkish security forces stop others before crossing the border into Europe.
The latest statistics, between 2010 and 2023, show Türkiye rescued 184,175 irregular migrants from its seas after they put their lives in danger with the hope of reaching Europe. Some 923 migrants, on the other hand, ended up dead on perilous journeys in the same period, while 503 people remain unaccounted for after their boats sank.
Athens built a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) steel barrier on the land border between Türkiye and Greece to prevent irregular migration, and the construction process was completed in August 2021.
Ankara and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.