The government on Thursday submitted a draft bill to Parliament that changes the asylum law in the country, towards faster and stricter conditions. The draft law is now up for deliberation and public debate.
Among others, the draft first ensures respect, as its reads, for the rights of refugees that are eligible for asylum, based on the Union acquis.
At the same time, the draft law requires asylum seekers to cooperation with national authorities,, while also accepting applicants in the system that have a “refugee profile”, and retaining only those foreign nationals that comply with their obligations.
The draft bill includes a provision for excluding individuals that submit repeated asylum requests and appeals as a delay measure against their repatriation.
Finally, third country nationals that illegally enter Greece and do not comply with decisions mandating their transfer to other shelters will be considered as rejecting asylum seeker protection and be referred to for administrative repatriation or deportation.
A three-day examination period will be mandated for the latter cases, a development that if implemented will be a tremendous reduction in the current administrative and appeals process, which can last for months and years.
