Europe Turns Right on Immigration: Member States Rewrite the Rules
18th July 2025
A paradigm shift is sweeping across Europe. From Finland to Portugal, from Greece to Ireland, countries across the continent are steadily tightening their immigration policies. What progressive elites used to denounce as ‘xenophobic rhetoric’ barely a decade ago is now being implemented as laws, decrees, and police operations in response to mounting public pressure led by the social and political Right. Reality, pushed forward by popular discontent, has crashed into the immigration debate with full force.
The facts speak for themselves. Austria has become the first EU country to deport a Syrian national back to his country of origin, and Germany has already announced its intention to follow suit—whether it follows through remains to be seen. Greece, meanwhile, has temporarily suspended asylum applications from North African nationals, a decision prompted by a surge in illegal arrivals on the island of Crete. In an unprecedented move, Italy has established migrant centers in Albania, where rejected asylum seekers are detained until deportation.
This tightening also extends to the regularization of migrants. Portugal has overturned a 2018 regulation that allowed tourists to legalize their status after a year of employment and social security contributions. Greece has gone even further, abolishing the possibility for illegal immigrants to apply for residency altogether, even after seven years in the country.
The Proglodyte Plan of Invade the World, Invite the World appears to be losing steam.