30/03/2023 – Systemic deficiencies in the access of beneficiaries of international protection to documents and socio-economic rights

Structural problems persist in the access of recognised refugees to documents and their rights, according to the new annual report published by Refugee Support Aegean, and Pro Asyl. These problems are highlighted in the report also through many refugees’ personal stories, whose cases are taken over by RSA. While the European Commission decided in early 2023 to launch infringement proceedings against Greece for poor transposition of EU law, and countries such as Germany and the Netherlands have opposed the deportation of beneficiaries of international protection to Greece, except in exceptional cases, people are still returned in the country without any support, information or documents in force. Most difficulties are encountered vis-à-vis access to a residence permit (ADET), which is obstructed by an array of administrative barriers, and slow processing times at the different stages of the ADET issuance and/or renewal procedure, which may exceed one year. Without a valid ADET, refugees cannot access social benefits, health care, the labour market, or even authorise a legal representative.

Read the full report here