The European Union’s new commissioner for migration, Magnus Brunner, right, shakes hands with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis before their discussions on Europe’s migration pact and border protections in Athens, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union’s top migration official said Thursday that deportations were a key priority for the bloc’s executive branch, as Greece grapples with a high number of people arriving illegally across the country’s borders.

“The topic of returns is something we have to deliver, definitely,” EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner told Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to Athens.

The Austrian conservative, who assumed the migration and internal affairs post in late 2024, stressed the importance of implementing the EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact.

“There are some things to do, of course, some things ahead of us. Implementing the pact is one of them,” Brunner said.

Greece, a major entry point for migrants into the EU, has advocated for stricter immigration controls.

“Greece is a country that has found itself on the forefront of the migration crisis for many, many years,” Mitsotakis said, expressing satisfaction with EU policy shifts toward external border protection and increased focus on returns.

In a rescue operation Thursday, Greek authorities responded to 36 migrants aboard a vessel spotted by a Maltese-flagged tanker 30 nautical miles (nearly 35 statute miles) southeast of the remote island of Gavdos island. Coast guard vessels escorted the migrants to a port on the nearby island of Crete, authorities said.

The commissioner’s Athens visit follows a recent European Court of Human Rights ruling that found Greece had illegally deported a Turkish national, describing pushbacks as “systematic.” Greece strongly denies engaging in pushbacks, maintaining it implements a “strict, but fair” migration policy.

The country recorded more than 60,000 migrants arriving illegally in 2024. It followed an increase of nearly 50% in the rate of sea arrivals over the past 18 months.

Greece is seeking direct EU funding to expand its border wall along the Turkish frontier.

Brunner’s agenda included meetings with Greek ministers for migration, maritime affairs and foreign affairs, before he heads to Cyprus on Friday for further discussions on migration policy.