Greece took over the presidency last week at a ceremony in Brussels.

When addressing the European Council, Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis said that although the EU saw some success in reigning in smuggling in 2023, "we still have many challenges ahead of us to face."

"Greece is taking over the ICMPD presidency at a very crucial time, and we are particularly concerned about what is happening in the Middle East and the effects this may have on migration flows to Europe," he continued.

What is the International Center for Migration Policy Development?

"We must continue our fight against human trafficking and to ensure legal avenues for migration," added Kairidis. "Efforts to eradicate illegal trafficking must continue, in cooperation with both European countries and the countries of origin and transit of migrants, whilst also ensuring that there are legal avenues for migration, which are based on the needs of the Greek and the European economies."

He called these actions the "slogan" of the Greek ICMPD Presidency.

The ICMPD is an independent body with a dynamic presence in the debate on migration and asylum within and outside Europe.

Its declared goal is to contribute to the development and implementation of long-term strategies to deal with the migration phenomenon, through actions and initiatives that promote transnational cooperation, research and the provision of know-how.

The Center's actions include programs to strengthen legal and organized economic migration routes, the prevention of irregular migration, the promotion of returns and effective border management.

Increase in migration flows due to war and charges against NGOs

Greece has been a migrant "hotspot" since the peak of the migrant crisis in 2015.

Although Greek authorities were praised by the European Commission for their handling of migration issues since, and migrant flows dropped significantly over the years, it remains a major issue for Greece and the EU.

Greece has systematically and categorically rejected accusations that its Coast Guard and border patrol services carry out so-called pushbacks or illegal summary deportations of recently arrived asylum seekers.

Migrant flows began to increase again in 2023 with the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and Athens was at the center of another migrant tragedy on a scale not seen before.

Last June, up to 750 people are believed to have been crammed onto the Adriana, a rusty fishing trawler that off the Greek mainland near the town of Pylos last June while attempting to travel from Libya to Italy.

 Six months after the high-profile shipwreck tragedy, two leading international human rights groups accused Athens of failing to properly investigate the circumstances of the migrant boat sinking that killed hundreds of migrants.