Joint Statement:
Provision of cash assistance to asylum seekers in Greece must resume immediately
Joint statement by 20 NGOs
17th September 2024
Asylum seekers in Greece have once again been denied their legal right to dignified living conditions after months of delay in payments of cash assistance, leaving people without an income and unable to meet their basic needs. Beneficiaries of the cash assistance program have been informed via text message that delays are occurring. However, there has been no public announcement from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum regarding the cause of the delays or how long they will last, leaving people in the dark about when to expect payments to resume.
Cash assistance has not been paid out to asylum seekers on the Greek mainland and islands for the months of May, June, July and August. This has impacted thousands of people, including families and vulnerable individuals, who are reliant on state-provided support while they live in remotely located camps, far from urban areas and without reliable provision of transport by the state to allow them to access essential services such as hospital appointments and attend necessary appointments as part of their asylum procedures. In this context, cash support is a vital lifeline.
The cash assistance programme is financed under the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and is intended to allow Greece to meet its legal obligations to provide material reception conditions to asylum seekers which enable people to obtain a dignified standard of living.
Demands to the Greek State:
Immediately resume payments of cash assistance to asylum seekers
Ensure that applicants receive backdated payments for the months of May-August 2024
Ensure that cash assistance payments are made immediately following registration of an asylum claim
In cases where cash payments are delayed and the individual has been granted international protection, ensure that retroactive payments are made
Demands to the European Commission:
Take action to ensure that EU funds disbursed for the purpose of cash assistance are properly managed by Greece such that it meets its legal obligations and people seeking international protection receive the support that they need to meet their basic human needs
