- New Libya–Gavdos–Crete migration route now fully established.
- Over 13,800 arrivals in one year; Crete carries disproportionate weight.
- Government measures and naval patrols show no tangible results.
- No progress on the long-promised second reception facility.
- Local authorities overwhelmed; Coast Guard understaffed.
- Frontex’s presence extended after repeated crises in Gavdos.
If the government announced that “everything is under control,” I would check if the sky is still above me, because every new press release sounds like someone desperately trying to put a tablecloth over an elephant, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the reality unfolding in southern Crete, where a new migration route from Libya through Gavdos has not only taken root but has practically stabilized itself. At the same time, the ministries keep insisting that “measures are being implemented,” even though nothing on the ground reflects anything remotely organized, let alone functional.
The numbers speak first, as they always do when politics refuses to:
Over 12,000 arrivals in Crete in just the first eight months of this year, in an island that has no second reception facility, no infrastructure prepared for such pressure, and no adequate support beyond exhausted municipal services — whereas the country as a whole counted 27,000 arrivals in that same period, meaning Crete alone carried nearly half the national weight without the tools afforded to islands like Kos, Leros, Samos, Chios, or Lesvos, which have seen their numbers decline by up to 50%.
But Crete? Crete gets announcements. Crete gets press conferences. Crete gets vague promises of a “second temporary structure.” Crete gets frigates that patrol the Libyan route like decorative ornaments.
The one thing Crete does not get is a solution.
The data is merciless: From August 2024 to August 2025, 13,804 people arrived in Crete or Gavdos — nearly one-fifth of the country’s total. This is not a fluctuation. This is not a temporary spike. This is a new migration corridor carved into the Mediterranean like a wound, and the island is expected to manage it on its own.
The municipalities of Gavdos and Chania are not simply overwhelmed — they are abandoned with a smile, holding responsibilities they never agreed to shoulder.
Mayor Lillian Stefanaki says it clearly:
“Από πέρυσι που ξεκίνησε το μεταναστευτικό ρεύμα δεν έχει σταματήσει.” Nothing stopped. Nothing slowed. Nothing improved. They just kept coming, because these are human beings looking for safety, and no amount of wishful ministerial thinking changes geography or weather patterns.
Meanwhile, the Chania Port Authority — the one handling 70% of all cases in Crete — is trying to operate with insufficient staff, boats, and everything, yet the announcements speak of “coordination,” “measures,” “reinforcement,” none of which appear in reality. The president of the local Coast Guard union says it bluntly:
“Το πρόβλημα είναι στα πλωτά που είναι μονά πληρώματα…” Meaning: the ships are understaffed, incidents are too frequent, and pressure is constant.
Thus came the great naval promise — two frigates deployed south of Crete, meant to deter the smugglers.
The frigates were decorative. They might as well have been inflatable. The boats arrived anyway, every day, because announcements and smugglers do not deter the sea, and they do not stop because someone parked a metal ship on the horizon. As Mayor Stefanaki said, when the weather is good, “θα έχουμε καραβιές.”
Expect boats; plan for boats; brace for boats; do not wait for Athens.
A teleconference on October 16 finally acknowledged that Crete needs another facility that meets actual standards. Every local authority agreed that this must happen — but, of course, nothing has been designated, approved, built, announced, or even seriously considered beyond the existing site in Agia. The only thing that moved was paperwork, and even that traveled slowly.
And now, in the grand tradition of European bureaucracy, the situation has “stabilized” enough to justify the extension of Frontex operations in Gavdos until January, which is the administrative way of saying:
“We are not solving the problem — but we will continue watching it happen.”
So yes, there is no end to their lies, because lies cost nothing. Infrastructure does. Human capacity does. Responsibility does. Crete is doing the real work. The people on the boats are paying the real price. And the announcements, as always, are written far away from the shore.
