Greek lawmakers voted on Friday to temporarily stop processing asylum requests from migrants arriving from North Africa by sea in a bid to reduce arrivals into Europe's southernmost tip, a move rights groups and opposition parties have called illegal.

An EU delegation visited Libya to hold talks with the government about the recent migration flows. However, the three European ministers, including Greece's Thanos Plevris, were refused entry to the country after reportedly stopping in the rival Libyan capital of Tripoli in the west.

Greece's government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.