KEY FIGURES
- 856,723 Sea arrivals in Greece in 2015 as of 31 December
- 108,742 Sea arrivals to Greece during the reporting period (29 November-31 December 2015)
- 272 Dead persons in the Greek waters from 1 January to 31 December 2015
- 21 Reception centres, transit sites, assembly points through islands and mainland
- 82 Asylum seekers relocated from Greece within the EU relocation scheme
FUNDING
- USD 19.3 million requested for the situation in Greece in 2015
PRIORITIES
Boost reception capacity and provide emergency assistance in receiving countries through support for States, civil society and local communities.
Strengthen protection systems and prevent refoulement including through presence and capacity building.
Increase strategic messaging and advocacy to and about people of concern.
HIGHLIGHTS
As of 31 December 2015, 856,723 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece since 1 January 2015, including 108,742 people during the reporting period.
During the reporting period, six shipwrecks were reported off the coasts of Lesvos, Farmakonissi and Kastelorizo islands, due to adverse weather conditions in combination to unseaworthy vessels, causing the death of about 40 people.
On 9 December, a Police operation took place in Eidomeni, on the Greek side of the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYROM), to evacuate people of nationalities not allowed to cross. About 2,300 people were transferred to the open temporary accommodation sites of Palio Faliro and Elliniko in Athens. UNHCR maintained continued presence in both sites, focusing on the identification of people with specific needs, the provision of legal information and the identification of asylum and relocation candidates who were directed to the Greek Asylum Service and were provided accommodation through UNHCR’s implementing partner Praksis.
On 14 December, UNHCR and the EC launched a project for the creation of 20,000 reception places for relocation candidates and other asylum seekers in Greece, through apartment and hotel rental schemes, hotel vouchers and host family programs.
Update on Achievements
Operational Context
The average daily arrivals in November was 5,042 and in December 3,333. Lower numbers of arrivals are attributed to the adverse weather conditions. Most of the new arrivals randomly interviewed by UNHCR staff stated that they crossed the sea in their second attempt. It was observed that many new arrivals in Lesvos landed near the airport shores instead of the sites in the northern part of the island, which are usually preferred due to shortest journey from Turkey to Greece as compared to the southern shores.
Due to the adverse weather during winter season, the overall sea crossing conditions have deteriorated and several search and rescue operations have been conducted by the Hellenic Coast Guard, supported by FRONTEX and other vessels from different EU countries, as well as private vessels. On 29 November, a wooden boat crashed into rocks as it approached the Eftalou shore, in Lesvos, carrying up to 150 people who sustained minor injuries. On 3 December, a boat transferring seven people capsized off Farmakonissi due to strong winds, leaving four survivors. Two further shipwrecks took place off Farmakonissi islet, on 9 and 10 December. The first one, involving a boat with 49 people onboard, claimed for 12 dead and 11 missing. The second, involving a boat with approximately 30 people onboard, claimed for four dead and about 20 missing. Another shipwreck occurred on the sea border between Greece and Turkey near Kastelorizo Island on 15 December, causing four dead and two missing, while 17 people have been rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard. Another shipwreck occurred off Farmakonissi on 22 December. From the twenty-nine people on board, 15 were rescued and 13 bodies (mostly children) were found. One person is still missing.
As a result of continued restrictions by the authorities along the Western Balkans route to the admission of refugees and migrants from countries other than Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, tensions have been rising at Eidomeni, on 2-3 December, leading to a temporary closure of the border. The Greek Police conducted an operation on 9 December, to evacuate from Eidomeni people of nationalities not allowed to cross the border. During the operation, the police stopped buses with new arrivals at Polykastro (5 km from the border area) in order to prevent congestion. Afterwards, they were allowed to proceed and Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis could cross the border normally. By the end of the operation, 45 buses departed for Athens from Eidomeni, carrying approximately 2,250 persons directed to the two emergency accommodation sites in Palio Faliro (Tae Kwon Do stadium) and Elliniko.
The Alternate Ministry of Migration Policy has been negotiating with the four Mayors of the Southern Attika suburbs (where Elliniko belongs), who had expressed their concern for the current reception plan in an open letter addressed to the Minister, to find more permanent solutions in Athens. An agreement was reached on the use of Elliniko (Hockey stadium) open temporary accommodation site for three months, while the Palio Faliro site (Tae Kwon Do stadium) terminated its operation on 17 December 2015.
A new police verbal order was issued regarding the detention of North African nationals (Maghreb Arabs) in Greece. Detention is being applied on the islands against Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians in accordance with the order. The situation remained volatile on Lesvos as 600-700 North Africans were unable to leave the island as a result of a police directive. By 30 December, some had stayed on Lesvos for over twelve days. Some 300 North Africans have been transferred to the pre-removal facility in Corinth where they were visited by UNHCR, ICRC and IOM. The Greek police confirmed that no-one has been readmitted to Turkey as of 29 December and that those who apply for asylum or assisted voluntary return (AVR) will not be sent to Turkey.