Greece: More than Six Months Stranded – What Now? A Joint Policy Brief on the Situation for Displaced Persons in Greece

Topic
Country/Region

Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

"This briefing paper is the result of a joint effort by 12 national and international organizations operating in Greece. The aim is to explain the current situation for those stranded in Greece for over six months since the closure of the northern border and introduction of the European Union (EU) – Turkey deal....

To date, however, some EU Member States have established policies that proactively undermine the concept of responsibility sharing, continue to place the burden on Greece, and ultimately push people underground, into the hands of smugglers and those seeking to exploit their desperation—a reality that organizations in Greece see evidence of daily....

Those that arrived before the EU-Turkey deal - currently an estimated 47,000 people - are living on the mainland in formal “open temporary reception structures” (sites) including warehouses or informal sites such as abandoned buildings in urban areas. Those arriving after introduction of the EU-Turkey deal are confined to closed facilities (formerly called “hotspots”4) or sites on the Greek islands bordering Turkey with restricted movement - 13,171 people as of 13 September 2016.5 Reception and asylum procedures are applied inconsistently across islands and differ from those on the mainland, based on each individual’s arrival date and nationality." 

See: More than Six Months Stranded – What Now? A Joint Policy Brief on the Situation for Displaced Persons in Greece (pdf)

Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.

 

Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.

Report error