1 October 2015
In a document setting out the priority actions for the management of the refugee crisis, the European Commission called for Greece to normalise the asylum situation within their territory and return to the Dublin system in the coming months.
The persistent deficiencies in the Greek asylum system led, in 2011, to the suspension of Dublin transfers back to Greece after the European Court on Human Rights found that the conditions of detention and living conditions for asylum seekers, as well as the insufficiency of the asylum procedure, violated the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Commission’s document also outlined other financial, legal, and operational measures that will be taken, including its expectations of all Member States. Citing a pressing need to support Member States in their management of refugees on their territories, the Commission has proposed action both within the EU, by providing technical and financial support to areas that are under pressure, and outside the EU, by ensuring funding for UNHCR and the World Food Programme, stepping up ‘the fight against traffickers and smugglers’, and increasing diplomatic engagement in key crises.
For further information:
- European Commission, Communication to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council, Managing the refugee crisis: immediate operational, budgetary, and legal measures under the European Agenda on Migration,23 September 2015
- ECRE, ECRE call on the EU and Member States for more robust solidarity as the refugee crisis in Greece deepens, 27 August 2015
This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 2 October 2015. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.