Arrivals and Departures
As reported by local media, a group of 35 people currently located on the island of Lesvos are expected to be returned to Turkey on 26 April as part of the EU-Turkey agreement. Greek media reported that the majority have expressed their wish to be repatriated given the present situation, which only allows for application to asylum in Greece.
In Serbia, 102 people arrived through green borders, including 64 from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and 38 from Bulgaria. Some 950 people remain in country and 41 additional people expressed intent to seek asylum in Serbia, bringing the total for April to 442 and the total for 2016 thus far to 2,383. Between 22-24 April, approximately 240-280 people were awaiting admission into the transit zones in Hungary; some 196 individuals were admitted. As compared to previous months, an increasing number of refugees and migrants (250-350) are currently present in Belgrade.
Conditions of People
In Greece, UNHCR continues advocating for and supporting alternatives to closed facilities on the Aegean islands as tensions rise and conditions worsen. On Lesvos, at the Moria facility, the overall level of frustration and anxiety is rising among refugees and migrants; noticeable increase in tension has been reported, particularly during food distribution. Riot police is present to intervene in case of severe clashes. On Chios, at the VIAL hotspot, the police decided on 21 April to open the gates of both accommodation sections of the facility, while keeping the main gate of the hotspot closed. Other open accommodation sites in Chios continue to be overcrowded. On Samos, people continue to share concerns regarding the deteriorating conditions inside the Vathy hotspot.
On the mainland, the government continues to transfer people from Eidomeni, Piraeus Port and Elliniko to other sites. Some 450 people were transported from Piraeus Port to Skaramangas on 24 April, while some 250 people were transferred from Elliniko 2 to Malakasa between 22 and 24 April. As of 25 April, as part of a joint effort of the Alternate Ministry for Migration Policy and UNHCR to strengthen collaboration for the provision of accommodation and assistance to refugees on the mainland, a total of 212 refugees, mainly Syrians and Iraqis, were transferred to the new site of Lagkadikia from Eidomeni and the EKO gas station. UNHCR continues to provide support by deploying site management experts, technical assistance, transitional shelter solutions, as well as basic relief items.
Critical Developments
In Slovenia, the stricter asylum legislation, which was passed a month and a half ago in the National Assembly, became effective on 24 April 2016. The legislation entails the acceleration of the processing of asylum claims, restriction for the conditions for asylum, and reduces the time frame for legal recourse. In addition, asylum applications are automatically considered inadmissible if the applicant enters Slovenia from a safe country.