A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster Two years after the beginning of the migration crisis (in 2015), more than 62,000 migrants remain stranded in the mainland and islands of Greece, according to figures of 6 June 2017 of the Greek government2 . Out of those 62,000 migrants, some 34,000 are on the mainland, some 13,000 on the islands and almost 14,000 are accommodated in the housing scheme of UNHCR’s relocation programme.
Compared to previous years, arrivals to Greece in 2017 have significantly decreased: 5,166 refugees and migrants reached Greek shores between January-May 2017, representing a 97 per cent decrease when compared to 155, 102 in the same period of 2016.34 As of 31 May 2017, 102,184 claims for international protection have been submitted to the Greek Asylum Service since it started operating in 2013. The main countries of origins of asylum-seekers who have submitted a claim for international protection in 2017 were Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. According to EUROSTAT, Greece now ranks as the second biggest refugee recipient country in Europe (after Italy) in terms of the number of asylum seekers per million of inhabitants.
Since 2013, the Asylum Service has quadrupled in size. It is currently operating asylum offices in all reception and identification centres (RICs) and all pre-removal detention centres.
In February 2017, the Greek government released the list of sites hosting migrants which 1) will be closed; 2) which will remain functional; and 3) which will be newly opened. The site of Softex Kordelio where the Red Cross acted as site management support was de-listed as a longer-term site.5 The site of Lavrio, where a HRCmanaged refugee centre was operating was also taken off the list of future longer-term sites.
Along with the list of sites, the Greek government, together with the European Commission (EC) published a Financial Plan 2017 and a plan for the accommodation sites. One of the main points outlined in the plan was that with the exception of ECHO’s funding for alternative accommodation spaces (apartments) and cash transfer programmes in the islands, funding support for the sites in the islands will come from EC funding mechanisms channelled through the Greek government’s national programmes. The number of hosting sites was also decided to be reduced to 23 longer term sites (compared to 40 such sites in the initial plan in 2016). The aim is to move all migrants into rental accommodation schemes (by the end of 2018) instead of retaining the ‘camp based accommodation’ strategy.
UNHCR’s June 2017 data has shown that the number of migrants hosted in the islands is 60 per cent over the reception capacity. The overcrowding and bad living conditions on the sites in the islands, the lengthiness of the asylum procedure and the gradual withdrawal of NGOs (especially in health care provision) constitute an ongoing challenge, and increases the feeling of despair among asylum-seekers.6 They also pose severe physical, emotional and mental health risks to the migrants, in particular those, who have been stranded in Greece for over a year and continue to face an unknown future. According to reports of Save the Children and MSF, anxiety, depression and aggression are on the rise. 7 As migrants now tend to spend longer periods in the islands to complete their asylum process, tensions with the local communities have also been reported to have increased.
The protraction of the crisis has only intensified such and other key issues. All these strengthen the humanitarian imperative to offer sustainable solutions of an increased volume.