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EU Commissioner also calls for the “in-merits” examination of asylum applications rejected as inadmissible and for the effective integration of asylum holders         

 Athens, 15 December 2021 – 27 organisations, while welcoming the EU Commission’s firm response to the alarming reality that thousands of people continue to go hungry in Greek refugee camps, reiterate their calls on the Greek government to urgently abide by its obligations under national, EU and international law.

On 7 December 2021, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ms. Ylva Johansson, issued a robust response to a joint open letter by organisations working in Greece. Addressed to the European Commission and the Greek government, the letter of 26 October 2021 called for immediate access to adequate food and water for all people residing in state-run or -managed facilities, irrespective of their legal status.

Since 1 October 2021, a new policy implemented by the Greek government^[1] has resulted in thousands of persons, including vulnerable individuals, being excluded from food provision. Now in place for more than 75 days, this alarming policy impacts up to 60 percent of the 16,659 residents in mainland camps, among them recognised refugees and rejected asylum seekers, as well as asylum seekers who have not been able to register their applications due to chronic processing delays at the asylum offices on the Greek mainland. Without any support, including food, are left another approximately 14,000^[2] persons living in state-run ESTIA facilities, who have not received their cash support since September 2021, due to the handover of cash assistance program from UNHCR to the Greek government.

In her 7 December response, Commissioner Johansson notes that the EU has raised the issue of the discontinuation of material reception conditions with the Greek authorities multiple times. In particular, the Commissioner underscores that:  “all persons, irrespective of their status, should benefit from the provisions of EU law, notably the provisions of the Reception Conditions Directive, the Qualifications Directive and the Return Directive, and from the relevant provisions of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights”; and that the Greek authorities have been repeatedly called on to “ensure all persons, particularly the vulnerable,” receive food, hygiene products, and other necessities.”^[3]

The Commissioner expresses her concern over the administrative delays that hinder asylum seekers’ and refugees’ access to their rights. She also emphasises the need to implement sustainable integration systems to facilitate recognised refugees’ transition to autonomous living as well as their access to social benefits on par with Greek nationals. The State’s obligation to facilitate recognised refugees’ access to housing is likewise underscored.

Commissioner Johansson then underlines Member States’ specific obligations towards unaccompanied children and emphasises that those who have been granted refugee status should be accommodated in specialised centres or other suitable accommodation. She notes that Member States “have an obligation to ensure full compliance with the principles of the best interest of the child and of family unity and to ensure a standard of living adequate to their physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development, including access to education and to leisure activities appropriate to their age”.

Lastly, Commissioner Johansson reiterates the Commission’s continued concerns over individuals left in protracted “legal limbo”. She states that, “[i]n line with Article 38(4) of the Asylum Procedures Directive, the Greek authorities should ensure that applicants whose applications have been declared inadmissible under the Joint Ministerial Decision and who are not being admitted to Turkey should be given access to the in-merits asylum procedure. The Commission has enquired with the Greek authorities on the steps taken towards this direction.”

The undersigned organisations welcome the Commission’s firm and unambiguous stance on these crucial issues and call on the Greek government to abide by its obligations under national, EU and international law to:

1. a) ensure that all persons, irrespective of their legal status, have access to basic means of subsistence, notably, food and hygiene products.
2. b) examine in substance the applications of asylum seekers who have been rejected as inadmissible on the basis that Turkey is a safe third country.

We also call on the European Commission to use the tools at its disposal as the guardian of the treaties, to ensure that the Greek government applies the relevant EU laws noted in Commissioner Johansson’s response.

Signatory Organizations:

1. Babel Day Centre
2. Better Days
3. ΔΙΟΤΙΜΑ – Centre for Gender Rights and Equality
4. Changemakers Lab
5. ECHO100 PLUS
6. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
7. Europe Must Act
8. Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid
9. Greek Association of People Living with HIV “Positive Voice”
10. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
11. Greek Forum of Migrants
12. Greek Forum of Refugees
13. HIAS Greece
14. HumanRights360
15. INTERSOS
16. INTERSOS Hellas
17. International Rescue Committee
18. Jesuit Refugee Service Greece
19. Lesvos Solidarity
20. Lighthouse Relief (LHR)
21. Refugee Legal Support (RLS)
22. Refugees International
23. Safe Passage International
24. Samos Volunteers
25. SolidarityNow
26. Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece, Council of Europe Network
27. Terre des hommes Hellas

^[1] See – Joint Open Letter – “Denying  food:  instead  of  receiving protection  people  go hungry  on  EU  soil”, October 26, 2021. Available here.

^[2] Ministry of Migration& Asylum, ESTIA 2021 Factsheet. September-October-November. December 6, 2021. Available here.

The undersigned non-governmental organisations were surprised to be informed that the Ministry of Migration and Asylum denied the registration of non-profit civil society organisation “Refugee Support Aegean” (RSA) on its NGO Registry, despite a positive opinion from competent services. We are particularly concerned by the substantive ground for such rejection, citing that the “development of activity” “in support of persons under deportation” is contrary to Greek legislation.

 The provision of mainly legal support to persons facing deportation is part of the daily work of civil society organisations active inter alia in free legal assistance, including several organisations already registered on the NGO Registry. We all consider persons under deportation who are in need of protection in the wider sense as persons of concern, in particular in light of international law provisions prohibiting deportation of foreigners such as Articles 31 and 33 of the Refugee Convention, Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture, as well as other provisions mandating assistance to vulnerable cases on humanitarian grounds. Even rejected asylum seekers are persons to whom we are required to provide assistance under EU and domestic legislation, namely Articles 28(3)-(4) and 31(4)-(5) of Law 3907/2011 and the provisions of Directive 2008/115/EC. Activities in support of persons facing deportation are fully in line with applicable legislation, as they ensure the safeguards and rights of persons at risk of deportation and return.

The Ministry of Migration and Asylum rejection decision sets a major negative precedent calling into question our own activity. We also believe that it causes reputational damage to Greece for poor implementation of refugee law, as well as international, EU and domestic law more broadly. For those reasons, we express our concern and expect the administration to take the necessary steps to correct the aforementioned decision in line with the law.

The signatory organisations:

1. CRWI Diotima
2. Danish Refugee Council
3. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
4. Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid
5. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
6. Hellenic League for Human Rights
7. HIAS Greece
8. HIGGS |Higher Incubator Giving Growth & Sustainability
9. HumanRights360
10. International Rescue Committee
11. Legal Centre Lesvos
12. Lesvos Solidarity
13. Médecins Sans Frontières Greece
14. Network for Children’s Rights
15. Refugee Legal Support
16. Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)
17. SolidarityNow
18. Symbiosis – School of Political Studies, Council of Europe Network
19. Terre des hommes Hellas

36 civil society organizations have sent a letter to Pope Francis regarding the refugee situation in view of his upcoming visit to Greece.

In a letter released at an online press conference on Thursday, December 2, the NGOs asked, among other things, to meet with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and inform him about the living conditions of refugees in Greece, as well as the need to support refugees quest for access to asylum with a message of solidarity towards our persecuted fellow humans.

Signatories:

1. A Drop in the Ocean
2. Actionaid Hellas
3. ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth
4. Βabel Day Center
5. Caritas Hellas
6. Centre Diotima
7. Changemakers Lab
8. Community Pope John XXIII
9. Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
10. ECHO100PLUS
11. ELIX
12. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
13. Europe Must Act
14. Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid
15. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
16. Greek Forum of Migrants
17. Greek Forum of Refugees
18. Hellenic League for Human Rights
19. HIAS Greece
20. Humanrights360
21. INTERSOS
22. INTERSOS Hellas
23. Irida Women’s Center
24. Jesuit Refugee Service Greece (JRS Greece)
25. Lesvos Solidarity
26. Médecins du Monde – Greece
27. Network for Children’s Rights
28. Mobile Info Team (MIT)
29. Odyssea
30. Refugee Legal Support
31. Refugee Support Aegean (RSA)
32. Samos Advocacy Collective
33. Samos Volunteers
34. SolidarityNow
35. Still I Rise
36. Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece, Council of Europe

A halt to cash assistance for asylum seekers, and the denial of food support to recognised refugees and rejected asylum seekers is creating a hunger crisis in Greece, 27 NGOs and civil society organisations warn today.

For nearly two months, up to 60 per cent of current residents of the Greek refugee camps on the mainland have not had access to sufficient food. Following the implementation in October 2021 of a law passed last year, the Greek Government stopped providing services to those whose asylum applications have been accepted. One in four residents in these facilities are women and two in five are children.

“The women in Eleonas camp keep telling us that their children are crying at night with hunger. Mothers now don’t have money for baby milk so they mush up biscuits in water instead.” said Emily Wilson of Project Elea.

One chronically ill father of three children from Afghanistan, said: “If I don’t eat it’s fine but I can’t leave my babies hungry”.

In addition, approximately 34,000 asylum seekers have gone for two months without cash assistance that had previously enabled them to buy food, clothing and other essential items.

The EU-funded cash assistance programme was previously administered by UNHCR but was interrupted after the Greek Government took over its management on 1 October 2021.

In response to calls by NGOs to urgently address the situation, the government made public assurances that distributions would resume by the end of October. One month later, the problem remains unresolved and its devastating impact on asylum seekers grows by the day.

Martha Roussou of the International Rescue Committee said: “Vulnerable and marginalised people are being pushed over the edge: children have to go to school hungry; sick people can’t get a bus to attend to their medical needs; and families have no resources to prepare for a cold winter.”

The halt to cash assistance is stripping asylum seekers’ of their dignity and depriving them of the lifeline many depended upon. Refugees and asylum seekers, who were already economically marginalised, are resorting to begging and other negative coping mechanisms to survive.

Ana Liz Chiban of Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid said: “Among those affected are rejected asylum seekers who cannot access accommodation or healthcare and have no right to work. This includes many Afghan and Syrian refugees whose applications were rejected on the basis that Turkey is a safe country, despite the fact Turkey is not accepting any returns from Greece.”

Some asylum seekers who live outside the camps as beneficiaries of the Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation (ESTIA) program are particularly vulnerable. They have also been affected by the interruption in cash provision but, unlike people in the camps, do not receive prepared food distributions. Without even this alternative, they have been left completely dependent on local social services and organisations to receive food, where those are available.

Anita Bay, Director of Save the Children Europe, said: “Through both its actions and inaction, the Government of Greece is creating a hunger crisis amongst refugees and asylum seekers in the country. It is unlawful, unnecessary, and totally unacceptable for this to be happening in the EU.”

NGOs are calling for urgent action to address the growing crisis, including for the Government of Greece to:

• Make the resumption of cash distributions a political priority;
• Provide emergency assistance such as basic goods or vouchers to use in shops or for transport, to asylum seekers who were previously receiving cash assistance,
• Ensure cash assistance instalments that were not delivered to asylum seekers in the past months are delivered when the new system is put in place;
• Distribute adequate and nutritious food to all people residing in camps, regardless of whether they are recognised refugees, asylum seekers or have had their claims rejected.

Background

–     In October 2021, a press release and open letter were published by NGOs and organisations raising  alarm over the disruptions to cash assistance for refugees and asylum seekers in Greece.

–        In response to the press release, the Ministry of Asylum and Migration categorically stated that asylum seekers would have access to “financial assistance provided at the end of October.

–     Under EU and Greek law (Article 17 of the Directive 2013/33/EU and Article 55 of the Law 4636/2019), Greece is responsible for ensuring minimum material reception conditions to asylum seekers.

–  In 2020, the government of Greece enacted new legislation, under which beneficiaries of international protection, with few exceptions, have all material reception support discontinued within 30 days of receiving their positive decision (Article 114 of the Law 4636/2019 amended by Article 111 of the Law 4674/2020). In October 2021, the Greek government started excluding protection status holders from food and water distribution as a means of implementing this legislation. Exclusion from food and water distribution also affects asylum seekers with a final negative decision, despite the fact that many of them have the right to a re-examination of their asylum claim.

Signatory organisations:

1. Action for Education
2. Arsis – Association for the Social Support of Youth
3. Babel Day Center
4. Better Days
5. Changemakers Lab
6. ECHO100PLUS
7. Equal Rights Beyond Borders
8. Europe Must Act
9. Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid
10. Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
11. HIAS Greece
12. HumanRights360
13. INTERSOS
14. INTERSOS Hellas
15. I HAVE RIGHTS
16. International Rescue Committee
17. Jesuit Refugee Service Greece ( JRS Greece )
18. Lighthouse Relief (LHR)
19. Mobile Info Team (MIT)
20. Refugee Legal Support
21. Refugees International
22. Safe Passage International
23. Save the Children
24. Still I Rise
25. SolidarityNow
26. Symbiosis-School of Political Studies in Greece, Council of Europe Network
27. Terre des hommes Hellas

Σε μια από τις μαζικότερες συλλογικές ενέργειες, πάνω από 290 οργανώσεις της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών (ΟΚοιΠ) ενώνουμε τη φωνή μας, συνυπογράψαμε και αποστείλαμε στον Πρωθυπουργό, την Κυβέρνηση και στο Κοινοβούλιο κοινό υπόμνημα σχετικά με το προς ψήφιση σχέδιο νόμου του Υπουργείου Εσωτερικών «Οργανώσεις Κοινωνίας Πολιτών, εθελοντική απασχόληση και λοιπές διατάξεις», το οποίο φαίνεται να απέχει από το αίτημα των οργανώσεων για ουσιαστική ρύθμιση και ενδυνάμωση του χώρου. Η μαζική πρωτοβουλία των οργανώσεων δημιουργήθηκε με αφορμή τη δημόσια διαβούλευση του εν λόγω νομοσχεδίου, που έληξε 19/11/2021 συγκεντρώνοντας πάνω από 340 σχόλια. Το σχέδιο νόμου προσπαθεί να θέσει ένα νομοθετικό και θεσμικό πλαίσιο και να ρυθμίσει τις σχέσεις Κράτους – Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών (ΚτΠ) αλλά και να διευθετήσει το πεδίο του εθελοντισμού.

Στην Ελλάδα σήμερα υπάρχουν εκατοντάδες, ίσως και χιλιάδες, Οργανώσεις της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών (ΚτΠ), άτυπες ομάδες και εθελοντικοί φορείς που έχουν στηρίξει και στηρίζουν διαχρονικά τη χώρα σε ορισμένες από τις πιο εμβληματικές ή/και κρίσιμες στιγμές της. Από την επί δεκαετιών ανθρωπιστική βοήθεια και αναπτυξιακή συνεργασία σε χώρες του αναπτυσσόμενου κόσμου έως τις πυρκαγιές στο Μάτι, τις πυρκαγιές του 2021, την οικονομική κρίση του 2010 με τις επακόλουθες κοινωνικές επιπτώσεις, την προσφυγική κρίση, την κλιματική κρίση, τις αδυναμίες του συστήματος υγείας, την παροχή ειδών πρώτης ανάγκης στους ευπαθέστερους των συμπολιτών μας και σε τόσα άλλα γεγονότα, η Κοινωνία των Πολιτών είναι πάντα και πρωτίστως παρούσα. Η αναγνώριση του μεγέθους της κοινωνικής προσφοράς και η υπεραξία του κοινωνικού αντικτύπου όλων αυτών των πρωτοβουλιών και οργανώσεων, πρέπει να αποτελεί πρωταρχικό μέλημα της Πολιτείας.

Όπως αναφέρεται στο υπόμνημα:

“Η ανάγκη για μια ενιαία νομοθετική ρύθμιση με σκοπό να ορίσει τις σχέσεις Κράτους – Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών και την προώθηση του εθελοντισμού, να καταργήσει περίπλοκες γραφειοκρατικές διαδικασίες και να εξασφαλίσει ένα ασφαλές και ανεξάρτητο περιβάλλον δημιουργίας και ανάπτυξης των οργανώσεων είναι μεγάλη και αποτελεί διαχρονικό αίτημα πολλών οργανώσεων. Ωστόσο, η προσέγγιση του νομοσχεδίου φαίνεται να απέχει από το αίτημα των ΟΚοιΠ, μη αξιοποιώντας μια ευκαιρία ουσιαστικής ρύθμισης και ενδυνάμωσης του χώρου.”

Τα βασικά σημεία του νομοσχεδίου που προβληματίζουν τις οργανώσεις της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών και θεωρούμε ότι χρήζουν αλλαγής και βελτίωσης είναι τα ακόλουθα:

• Η προσέγγιση του νομοσχεδίου, η οποία δεν διαφαίνεται να ενισχύει ή να υποστηρίζει την ανάπτυξη της ΚτΠ. Αντιθέτως, απουσιάζει πλήρως η διάθεση δημιουργίας ενός πλαισίου εμπιστοσύνης και ουσιαστικής συνεργασίας μεταξύ των ΟΚοιΠ και του κράτους, πολλώ δε μάλλον εν μέσω μιας μακράς περιόδου αλλεπάλληλων κρίσεων, κατά την οποία η ΚτΠ έχει αποδείξει το τεράστιο μέγεθος της κοινωνικής της προσφοράς και έχει καταφανεί η ανάγκη για διατομεακή, πολυεπίπεδη, συνεργατική δράση.
• Δημιουργείται ένα μη φιλικό περιβάλλον ανάπτυξης για μικρότερες ή νεοσύστατες οργανώσεις.
• Δεν υπάρχει καμία αναφορά σε υποχρεώσεις του κράτους απέναντι στους φορείς (χρονοδιαγράμματα κ.ά.).
• Δεν επιλύεται, αλλά αντίθετα ενισχύεται η ήδη περίπλοκη γραφειοκρατία.
• Εισάγονται/Επιβάλλονται ευρύτατοι περιορισμοί αμιγώς τιμωρητικού χαρακτήρα, αποκλείοντας τις Οργανώσεις της ΚτΠ που μάχονται για την αποϊδρυματοποίηση και επανένταξη των ατόμων στην κοινωνία.
• Υπάρχουν βασικές ελλείψεις σε προβλέψεις στον πολύ σημαντικό τομέα του εθελοντισμού, αφήνοντας έκθετες οργανώσεις και εθελοντές.

Η κοινή δήλωση συντάχθηκε από ομάδα εργασίας εκπροσώπων δικτύων οργανώσεων, οι οποίοι μετά από συναντήσεις και αφού μελέτησαν προσεκτικά το σχέδιο νόμου σε συνεργασία με ειδικούς συμβούλους, κατέληξαν σε συγκεκριμένες προτάσεις και αλλαγές που κατέθεσαν στην πλατφόρμα Δημόσιας Διαβούλευσης.

Στόχος των παρεμβάσεων είναι να διευκολύνουν την εύρυθμη λειτουργία της Κ.τ.Π. και να επιτρέψουν στο τελικό νομοσχέδιο να έχει έναν ρόλο ουσιαστικής ενδυνάμωσης και υποστήριξης των οργανώσεων και των εθελοντών.

Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες πατήστε εδώ.

Η πρόταση νόμου εδώ.

One year after the Moria fire that left 13.000 people homeless,

45 NGOs and civil society groups have today released a report urging the European Union and Greek government to abandon plans to dramatically restrict the movement of people in refugee camps in Greece. With financial and technical support from the European Commission, authorities in Greece are constructing fences and concrete walls around dozens of existing camps and building closed camps in remote locations on the Aegean islands. New legislation aims to further restrict the freedom of movement of camp residents and access for NGOs, journalists, and others with critical aid delivery and monitoring roles.

When a devastating fire destroyed Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesvos burned to the ground on the night of 8-9 September 2020, Greek and European officials promised they would improve reception conditions. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said there should be “no more Morias.” Yet, rather than pursuing alternatives to camps, the EU and Greece have hardened their approach. As the report shows, authorities are pursuing “harmful policies focused on deterring and containing asylum seekers and refugees,” thus “jointly implementing and deepening the status quo.”

Within months of the fire in September 2020, Greek and EU officials agreed to the construction of Multi-Purpose Reception and Identification Centres (MPRICs) on five Aegean islands. On the mainland, they began building walls and chain link fencing around dozens of existing camps. Camp residents and NGOs familiar with the plans have likened these facilities to prisons.

The report identifies a number of significant concerns about the plans, warning that the new structures “will impede effective identification and protection of vulnerable people; limit access to services and assistance for asylum seekers; hinder independent monitoring of conditions inside facilities; and exacerbate the harmful effects of displacement and containment on individuals’ mental health. Moreover, these policies will preclude displaced people’s integration in local communities, to their detriment and that of Greece.”

The European Commission is funding the construction projects with grants exceeding €250 million. Commissioner Johansson has defended the work, insisting that the new structures on the islands will not be closed and that people will be free to come and go. Yet the Greek authorities make no secret of their intention to restrict freedom of movement for camp residents: on 29 March 2021, the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, described the new MPRICs as “closed and controlled.” He has used similar language when discussing camp facilities.

Questioning how and why EU funds are being used to restrict the freedom of movement of people seeking sanctuary, the report urges Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to urgently investigate the current construction process and intervene to protect the rights and liberties of people seeking asylum in Greece. In a list of recommendations, the report asks EU institutions and national governments, particularly the Greek authorities, the European Commission and its Task Force Migration Management, and Members of the European Parliament to:

1. Guarantee that new arrivals to the Greek island are not detained in MPRICs by default and that restrictions on movement are based on an individual assessment and do not exceed limitations laid down in law.
2. Secure a firm commitment from the Greek authorities that the freedom of movement of residents of all camps will be upheld, and that access to essential services, including education (especially for children), and healthcare is guaranteed.
3. Guarantee that asylum seekers located at facilities in remote areas have access to city centres or nearby urban areas by facilitating transport and opportunities for engagement, thereby preventing the harmful effects of isolation and social exclusion and promoting an early start to integration.
4. Urgently scrutinising the use of EU funds to finance the construction of MPRICs and walls around mainland camps, and considering a moratorium on construction until the fundamental rights of residents are guaranteed.
5. Guarantee a timely and adequate monitoring and evaluation plan to assess conditions in the new MPRICs and walled-off camps and their impact on residents’ access to rights, material reception conditions, services, assistance, mental health, and education  (especially for children).
6. Ensure that legislation governing NGOs’ access to reception facilities in Greece is in line with EU and international law and standards regarding the freedom of association and does not hinder the provision of adequate services and support to asylum seekers living inside reception facilities. The EU Commission should proceed without delay in assessing whether Greek legislation restricting NGO activity is compatible with EU law.
7. Urge the Greek government to revoke the new restrictions on cash assistance to allow asylum seekers to live in independent housing, and investing in alternative accommodation to reception facilities to promote integration and social inclusion while people complete the asylum process.
8. Urge the Greek government to introduce protocols for the operation and monitoring of all reception facilities that ensure adequate security and protection of camp residents and staff without encroaching on their rights and freedoms.

Full report available here: Walling off welcome – joint policy briefing (September 2021)