Authorities had earlier agreed to postpone the facility's closure, but reversed their decision without notice. When the pandemic first reached Greece in March, these RICs held more than 37,000 people in facilities built for about 6,000. Recognized refugees have the right to be reunited with family members in other countries and can apply for Greek citizenship after living in Greece continuously and legally for three years. But the data show that these assertions are inconsistent with the lived reality of people fleeing their homes.

Previously, recognized refugees had a six-month "grace period" during which they received basic support, accommodation, and cash assistance through the Emergency Support to Integration & Accommodation (ESTIA) program. However, EU Member States should not wait for agreement on a new arrangement before offering to take in more asylum seekers from Greece. It offers a critical lifeline to refugees making the difficult transition to integrate into their host communities. Indeed, the damage was already done. Given extensive documentation of actions and decisions that violate EU law, the European Commission should exercise its oversight capacity and launch an infringement procedure against Greece. Even as the Greek government neglects its obligation to protect asylum seekers and refugees, it undermines others' efforts to help. **Increase oversight and transparency of Greece's use of EU funding. Although pandemic-related travel restrictions caused some delays, authorities gradually began relocating unaccompanied children in April. Since the start of 2020, glaring headlines have called attention to the situation at Greece's borders. Meanwhile, authorities have opened offices to help refugees secure travel documents to go to other EU countries, where EU law allows them to stay up to three months. The centers are infamous for their inhumane conditions---ones conducive to rapid contagion. Capacity in reception centers was strained. [3] In Greece, cash assistance is provided through the Greece Cash Alliance (GCA)---a group of NGOs led by UNHCR with funding from the European Commission and in cooperation with the Greek government. Meanwhile, despite promises from European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson that there would be "no more Morias," a new, temporary camp was built and quickly coined "Moria 2.0."

Investigate allegations of human rights violations at land and sea borders.

The hope, some suspect, is that they will not return. Refugees International and other rights groups harshly criticized the law and called for reforms. The reported incidents in the spring are a concerning escalation of Greece's hardline approach. Although the number of arrivals has fallen significantly since the height of Europe's so-called "refugee crisis," thousands of people continue to arrive in Greece. However, reports told of appalling conditions in the recently built mainland camps, and the government began closing hotel accommodations in August. **The provision of adequate food and water, freedom of movement, access to sanitation and hygiene services, and mental and physical healthcare are more critical than ever during the ongoing pandemic.

[3]Beginning in December 2020 or January 2021, cash beneficiaries will also be limited to withdrawing just 20 percent of assistance in cash form---the remaining 80 percent must be spent in stores or online.

one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, comparative analysis by the International Rescue Committee, incentives for individuals on the islands to return, immediate response to the fire fell short, Emergency Support to Integration & Accommodation (ESTIA) program, sleeping outdoors in Athens' Victoria Square, evicted inhabitants of the makeshift camp, https://help.unhcr.org/greece/rights-and-duties/rights-and-duties-of-asylum-seekers/, UNFPA Humanitarian Thematic Fund 2021 Annual Report, World report on the health of refugees and migrants [EN/AR/RU/ZH], World Is in Deep Trouble, Secretary-General Tells Ministers at Political Forum, Urging Them to do Everything Possible in Reversing Destructive Course, WFP scales up to support the most vulnerable in global food crisis (July 2022). The discriminatory restrictions were unjustified and dangerous, trapping vulnerable individuals in high-risk environments.

However, it is just one aspect of what the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee (ACT) calls, "structural deficiencies in Greece's immigration detention policy." **The Frontex Management Board should immediately launch an independent and transparent investigation to determine if Frontex officers were involved in unlawful pushbacks and/or fail to report allegations of rights violations committed by Greek officers. Examining Greece's response to the coronavirus pandemic and tragedy in Moria is essential to understanding the government's approach to asylum and migration. Reverse provisions of the new asylum law that obstruct access to asylum, and improve the capacity of the Greek Asylum Service to process applications in a timely but fair manner.

Notably, new reports in late October 2020 indicate that Frontex has been complicit in at least several pushbacks from Greece. Amendments and ministerial decrees introduced in February, April, and May 2020 only added requirements and reduced eligibility for registration. It gave the appearance that the asylum "crisis" was a temporary challenge to be contained on the islands. Although a positive step, it is unlikely to suffice. Now, the EU's more active role and continued financial and technical support to Greece risks legitimizing these harms.

Soon after, the coronavirus plunged the world into a public health crisis that put displaced communities at disproportionate risk. The European Commission subsequently released its long-delayed proposal for a plan to address asylum and migration---the new EU Pact on Asylum and Migration. Those who are able to reach Greece and submit asylum applications are further negatively affected by new Greek laws and policies. The EU and its Member States must also share the responsibility of caring for asylum seekers and refugees in the region. Most importantly, limiting civil society's ability to operate does most harm to vulnerable people. This approach has inflamed tensions with host communities and forfeited benefits to be gained by better integrating refugees. Credible reports from multiple sources tell of Greek law enforcement officers and unidentified masked men carrying out collective expulsions of more than 1,000 refugees from the Aegean islands in the summer of 2020. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum issued stark warnings to asylum seekers that they would only be safe inside the new camp and could not trust outside help.

In November 2020, authorities even arrested an Afghan man for child endangerment after his six-year-old son died in a shipwreck en route from Turkey.

Second, the government has adopted laws and policies that undermine protections owed to asylum seekers. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. Hundreds of COVID-19 cases have also been detected in other island RICs and in September, Greek health officials said migrants and refugees accounted for many of the COVID-19 cases in Athens. Nevertheless, the "International Protection Act" (IPA) went into effect on January 1, 2020. Others warn that rising bilateral and regional tensions with Turkey could lead to a repeat of the February crisis.

To ensure credibility and accountability, Frontex's inquiry into the pushbacks must be independent.

The new EU Pact should establish a predictable and equitable mechanism that requires Member States to share responsibility for asylum seekers and refugees, including by moving asylum seekers from overcrowded countries of arrival, like Greece. These play out in four key ways, impacting individuals at every stage in their search for protection: In late February 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan opened his country's borders, encouraging thousands of refugees to enter Europe. In a report of its findings also published in November 2020, the ACT describes abhorrent conditions in detention facilities in Evros and Samos that "could amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.

They also stigmatize civil society in a country where skepticism of NGOs already has a long history. Notably, dire predictions that an outbreak in Greece's refugee camps would devastate an already vulnerable population had not materialized.

Greece has a moral and legal obligation to give them safety, carefully review their requests for protection, and honor valid claims.

Officials should facilitate and cooperate with NGO efforts to provide services to asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants and refrain from toxic rhetoric and criminalization of NGOs. **Improve conditions in RICs to ensure asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants have access to basic rights and services, including testing and treatment for COVID-19. If the inquiry finds evidence of Frontex officers' wrongdoing, it will be impossible for the Greek government to deny the validity of allegations against it. In 2015, it was the main entry point for the more than 1 million people who sought safety in the European Union that year. Overall, infection rates among refugees and migrants do not appear to be higher than among the Greek population.

Nevertheless, even the immediate response to the fire fell short. That month, it also started offering economic incentives for individuals on the islands to return to their home countries. UNHCR called on the Greek government to investigate the incidents in June 2020 and members of the European Parliament echoed the call in July. Rather, it is a question of political will and cooperation with non-governmental actors.

Those who remained in the RICs faced lockdowns that restricted freedom of movement.

Residents wait on long lines for food that is of poor quality, low nutritional value, and insufficient. [2] In Greece, refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection have many of the same rights and obligations, including a 3-year residency permit and access to primary healthcare, education, work, and welfare benefits. Further re-shaping the policy framework are measures introduced as part of the pandemic response.

Authorities must do their due diligence, giving thorough consideration of each individual's circumstances to determine applicants' need for asylum or international protection. In a move that would further restrict access to asylum, the government is considering making asylum claims inadmissible if applicants have reached Greece by traveling through "safe" third countries---including Turkey. But effectively managing the situation requires a permanent, mandatory mechanism to support frontline countries like Greece and better distribute responsibility for asylum seekers. Authorities evicted inhabitants of the makeshift camp and moved individuals to facilities in and around Athens. However, advocates have long warned that the program is not up to par. As discussed below, these individuals can no longer remain in camps or receive cash assistance just one month after receiving protective status. Denying people critical assistance is an abdication of responsibility that creates new crises and foregoes opportunities to benefit from refugees' contributions. At every phase, government measures to stymie civil society efforts hinder asylum seekers' and refugees' access to essential support. It restricts asylum seekers' access to legal assistance and makes changes to the appeal process that make it harder to have initial rejections reversed.

The European Union and civil society had long called on the Greek government to decongest the islands. Most individuals reach Greece from Turkey, risking their lives in dangerous sea crossings to Greek islands in the northern Aegean Sea. With 2,000 people transferred from the islands in June and thousands more asylum seekers and refugees set to move after the Moria fire in September, demand for reception and integration support rose quickly.

In these ways, the government has created a patchwork of laws, policies, and practices that systematically close the space for asylum and refuge. Even as the Frontex board sets up the investigation, the EU Ombudsman has opened an inquiry to assess how well Frontex's individual Complaints Mechanism handles claims of rights violations, as well as the role and independence of its Fundamental Rights Officer.

After all, Moria was not just an abstract symbol---it was a real place of suffering where individual lives were at risk. ", With asylum services suspended or limited for much of the year, there was a dramatic drop in new asylum claims in Greece. Small- and medium-sized organizations have especially struggled to meet the burdensome requirements and manage other red tape. It first ordered a general suspension of all migration and asylum services until at least April 10.

In its own publications and interviews, it has stated that positive decisions in this period fell to 44 percent. Greece's strong initial response to the pandemic helped avert a humanitarian disaster in its refugee camps.

Two months is simply not enough time for newly arrived refugees to establish themselves. Parliament should immediately launch an independent and transparent investigation to ensure compliance with Greek, EU, and international law on the rights of asylum seekers. In that time, the government used the public health crisis as an excuse to keep its borders closed and further restrict access to asylum. Their effectiveness as deterrence measures is also limited, as individuals continue to attempt the crossing. Eliminate burdensome restrictions and registration requirements for NGOs. The Greek government's responses were hasty but not unwitting. Moreover, discrimination, language differences, bureaucratic obstacles, and other barriers routinely undermine their ability to rent apartments and find jobs needed to become self-sufficient. There were still no cases of COVID-19 among the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants living in Reception and Identification Centers (RIC) on the Aegean Islands. Thousands were left homeless, of which hundreds have since tested positive for COVID-19.

Although more prompt decision-making is desirable, these rushed procedures can deny asylum seekers a thorough review of the merits of their claims and result in unfounded rejections. The move is another example of the cruelty of Greece's approach---the government fails to adequately provide for asylum seekers but also undermines independent efforts to fill the gaps its leaves. One NGO representative told Refugees International that it felt nearly impossible to keep up with the pace of changes. Take legal action against Greece for its mistreatment of asylum seekers.

With nowhere to go, local media reported that 20 to 30 refugees were even returning to Lesvos each day because of the dire situation they encountered. Source: https://help.unhcr.org/greece/rights-and-duties/rights-and-duties-of-asylum-seekers/.

This gap makes a new independent border monitoring mechanism a welcome part of the proposed EU Pact on Asylum and Migration.

The Greek government must take immediate steps to prevent more harm and fulfill its obligation to protect asylum seekers and refugees. Data on decisions made in the first half of 2020 show that 69 percent resulted in grants of refugee status or a lesser form of "subsidiary protection."[2]. It should have a broad enough mandate to monitor and investigate allegations of all rights violations; be adequately funded; remain independent of national authorities; and involve independent organizations, such as NGOs. Refugees receive a "CGA cash card" that can be used to make direct purchases or withdraw cash. Since the IPA took effect, a series of policy changes and ministerial directives have continued to alter the legal framework. This is necessary to ensure the Greek government promptly takes corrective action to bring its policies and their implementation into compliance with EU law.

In March 2020, the European Commission launched a relocation scheme through which eleven EU countries agreed to take in about 1,600 unaccompanied minors from Greece. They did transfer unaccompanied minors to the mainland, accommodate some of the most vulnerable asylum seekers on ships, and negotiate more relocations with other EU countries. Greece is abandoning even those it has committed to protect.

Wary of a public backlash, the Greek government has never wanted to acknowledge that it would need to provide basic support for integration of new arrivals in the long term.

In late September, the government announced a new pilot as part of the HELIOS program to provide refugees with two months' accommodation. Ultimately, limited services only resumed on May 18.

At a LIBE Committee debate in October, Greek and European officials alike expressed thanks for the important work of NGOs. Debilitating and vilifying organizations that provide essential support makes little sense---particularly in the midst of a public health crisis and when the government refuses to deliver the services itself.

Those inside report that it has no stable electricity or running water, limited food, and insufficient space for social distancing needed to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

In addition to improving asylum procedures and reception conditions, Greece must provide integration support for recognized refugees. Indeed, individuals seeking refuge and dignified lives confront obstacles at every step of their journey.

Any officials found to be involved must be held accountable. They said most people would remain on the islands, used tear gas against protestors, and arrested five young asylum seekers charged with starting the fires.

The government repeatedly extended the lockdowns despite there being no COVID-19 cases in those facilities and having re-opened the rest of the country.

OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. One NGO worker lamented that the effort seems mainly meant to resolve the public image problem that Victoria Square created. At the end of 2019, the UN Refugee Agency reported it was hosting 190,900 "people of concern.

Impartial needs assessments and access to spending data should be regularly and readily available.

Greece must act immediately to reverse its callous asylum and migration policies and fulfill its international commitments to asylum seekers and refugees. A comparative analysis by the International Rescue Committee determined that the Moria RIC---Europe's largest and most notorious refugee camp, located on the island of Lesvos---was one of the most population-dense refugee camps in the world, with 203,800 people per square kilometer in April 2020.

It is a critical decision that Refugees International and others had urged. **By blocking or returning people without examining their cases for international protection, these practices at the sea and land borders deny individuals their right to asylum. The already dire situation has evolved rapidly in 2020. They were right.

Cash assistance---an effective tool to quickly help vulnerable people meet their basic needs and withstand socioeconomic shocks---is critical in this context. In some camps on the mainland, authorities do not provide food but instead give asylum seekers cash allowances. The opposite occurs in Lesvos, where the government's interest is in containing asylum seekers and migrants in camps. Greek authorities argued they should not appear to reward protests by transferring people from Lesvos. COVID-19 reached the Vial RIC on the island of Chios first and Moria RIC in Lesvos soon after. The preventable tragedy lent greater urgency to long-standing calls from civil society and some European policymakers to provide adequate, long-term solutions for asylum seekers and migrants.

Although there are national schemes to provide basic support to the most vulnerable, refugees have difficulty accessing them. Criminalizing an asylum seeker after such a terrible trauma is a disgrace.People who flee across mountains, rivers, and oceans---in the midst of a pandemic, no less---do risk their lives, but only to try to save them. Authorities assert that most are "economic migrants" or have come from countries that are safe to return to. Fires broke out, destroying the camp.

The IPA expands the grounds on which protection can be denied and normalizes the use of detention, including of unaccompanied children. These are necessary to help applicants navigate the complex asylum process and prevent rejections on arbitrary technical grounds. EU Member States should agree to relocate more unaccompanied minors and vulnerable asylum seekers from Greece.

Investing in measures that are likely to be ineffective and cause harm is a waste of critical resources. **Significant and persistent deficiencies in the quality and quantity of services for asylum seekers and refugees raise questions about how EU funds are being used.

**Investigate allegations of Frontex's complicity in rights violations at Greece's borders.

Without change, it is likely to persist.

Yet, the government had issued another directive exacerbating its harmful policies just the month before. After several difficult months, Europe emerged from the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020. Nevertheless, the emergency suspension remained in place until its scheduled expiration on March 31, 2020. Moreover, new rules took effect in September 2020 that reduce cash allowances for individuals staying in camps where food is provided. Downplaying the number of people needing protection supports the narrative described above and appeals to an increasingly anti-refugee public.

Increase capacity and funding for socioeconomic integration programs for refugees. **.

Individuals who have managed to enter Greece, apply for asylum, receive refugee or subsidiary protection status, and escape the island RICs still struggle to settle.

However, in July 2020, the government took over responsibility for ESTIA's management from UNHCR and cut its budget by 30 percent. They also established a new oversight body.

", One positive exception came in November 2020, when the Ministry of Migration and Asylum announced it would end the practice of holding unaccompanied minors in police custody.

In other camps that do provide food, it is not available to recognized refugees.

In a joint letter to the Hellenic Parliament in October 2020, Refugees International and other NGOs urged an investigation into the most recent accounts of pushbacks and other abuses at Greece's borders.

In March 2020, the government reduced the grace period to 30 days, affecting about 11,000 individuals in the program. Greek NGO Legal Centre Lesvos reports a "systematic rejection" of Syrians' applications and describes unrealistic requirements for asylum seekers to undertake the appeals process.

But in October, the government announced it would build a wall along the Evros River. But as shown, these efforts are part of a concerted approach that precedes the pandemic.

Indeed, the recognition rate for appealed decisions in the first half of 2020 dropped to 5.5 percent from 5.9 percent in all of 2019.

To some surprise, Greece's response was quite successful---going into the summer, it maintained one of the lowest infection rates in Europe.

In June, 22 of the 40 organizations working in RICs had to suspend their operations. An NGO representative described a resulting vicious cycle---refugees leave the dire camp conditions to return to the city streets, only to be rounded up and forced back again. This EU-funded scheme was managed by UNHCR in partnership with municipal governments and NGOs. However, the government seized on public health fears and Moria's destruction to advance plans for closed-access reception facilities, now with additional EU support. By "rais[ing] both procedural and substantive difficulties with respect to freedom of association and the protection of civil society space," and failing to consult NGOs in the process, the legal changes do not comply with European standards. Similarly, maneuvers on the mainland have gone beyond pushbacks of recent arrivals. For years, Greece has hosted large numbers of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing conflict and poverty, primarily in the Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. A new NGO law announced in November 2019 specifically targets organizations in the field of international protection, migration, and social inclusion.

In September 2020, the NGOs Oxfam and WeMove Europe filed a legal complaint calling on the European Commission to trigger infringement procedures against Greece "for its systematic breach of EU law in its treatment of people seeking asylum in Europe. "[1] The failure of Greece and the EU to establish coherent and humane refugee policies means many languish in appalling conditions as they try to navigate the asylum process and access critical protection.

With lockdowns in place, they can no longer go into the city to buy alternative or supplemental food.

After COVID-19 was detected in RICs on the mainland, swift moves to isolate affected individuals and test others helped mitigate its spread. Final negotiations over the new EU Pact should establish an independent mechanism to ensure protection of fundamental rights at Member States' borders.

In November 2019, Greece passed a new asylum law that restricted the rights and protections granted to asylum seekers and refugees. First, Greece unlawfully suspended access to asylum in response to a Turkish ploy to send refugees into the European Union.

It provides integration support, including language courses, job readiness, and up to 12 months of rental subsidies for independent housing. This data suggests that most people arriving in Greece do have claims to international protection, despite the Greek government's arguments to the contrary. Authorities carry out pushbacks at Greece's sea and land borders, forcing recently arrived individuals back across a border before they can claim asylum.

Authorities reportedly forced people who had reached Greece's shores onto faulty, inflatable life rafts that were pushed to the border of Greek and Turkish territorial waters and left adrift for the Turkish coastguard to assume responsibility. A plan for a floating fence to keep refugees and migrants from reaching Lesvos was ultimately abandoned.

Experts predict that the humanitarian and economic costs of the pandemic will drive more asylum seekers to the EU. In that time, the Asylum Service, with the help of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), worked through its backlog of about 125,000 applications.