The Minister of Migration and Asylum, Mr. Dimitris Kairidis, met today with the European Returns Coordinator, Ms. Mari Juritsch. The European Returns Coordinator is a new position in the European Commission with the objective of improving coordination and speeding up the return of third-country nationals whose asylum applications have been rejected and meet a number of other requirements.
Across Europe, returns are difficult because they require the cooperation of countries of origin. Yet, they also are necessary in order to preserve the credibility of the international protection system. Returns are a priority in the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum and in the common European asylum and migration policy currently being developed.
Greece has been a pioneer in this area, introducing the position of the National Returns Coordinator, who will be a senior officer from the Hellenic Police and will coordinate all competent national authorities and co-operate with European partners and the European Commission in order to achieve more joint returns. It is noted that in 2023 Greece successfully processed the return of 6,340 third-country nationals from Greece to their respective countries.
