On Monday 18 March, several NGOs denounced the living conditions of refugees sheltered on the Greek islands on the occasion of the three-year EU-Turkey Declaration (see EUROPE 11515/1), under which Ankara agreed - in exchange for European funds for refugees cared for on Turkish soil - to prevent passages to the EU and to take back on its territory any person who arrived illegally on the Greek coast, including Syrians.
However, with regard to asylum seekers, the Greek authorities were responsible for keeping persons eligible for international protection and submitting applications once on Greek territory until asylum applications were quickly assessed, as provided for by law. In the case of a rapidly determined non-asylum application or inadmissibility, these persons were to be returned directly to Turkey.
An agreement that EU leaders have welcomed over the past few years in that it has drastically reduced the flow of migrants arriving in Greece via the Aegean Sea, although Frontex (replaced by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency) has noted an increase in arrivals to Greece via the Turkish land border in recent months. However, referrals to Turkey have not been as systematic and many people have finally found themselves stuck in Greece, where the case processing services have been criticised by the Commission or the other Member States.
Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) denounced, on 18 March, the fact that "thousands" of people are now trapped in the Greek islands in living conditions that are "unsafe, dirty and deteriorating their health". They asked European leaders and the Greek authorities to do their utmost to evacuate these people and provide them with basic care. Some 12,000 people are currently trapped in camps on five islands. The Vathy camp on Samos Island is perceived as the most degraded, with "extreme overcrowding", according to MSF. The camp, which the government has promised to close, currently houses more than 4,112 people in an area planned for 648. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)