© UNHCR/Christos Tolis
Capacity-building and quality assurance support to Greece’s Asylum Service and legal assistance to asylum seekers funded by a European Economic Area (EEA) grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under a UNHCR-led project is helping Greece to build a more efficient asylum system.
A team of quality assurance experts funded under the EEA project is assisting the Quality Department of the Asylum Service since April 2019 with advice on standards, procedures and implementation of the asylum legislation. The project is reinforcing the capacity of the Asylum Service in country of origin information (COI) research and supporting the Service’s trainings, workshops and refresher sessions.
“This EEA grant has helped Greece meet critical procedural and legal needs in light of the increased demands upon the Greek asylum system,” says Philippe Leclerc UNHCR Representative to Greece.
“Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have strongly supported this project that testifies to Greece’s engagement to reinforce the capacity of its asylum apparatus,” says Leclerc.“ We particularly thank Norway and the other EEA Grant countries, as well as their operational partners in Greece, for their continued support to improve asylum systems in Europe and we remain committed to support Greece in this regard.”
Under the initiative, UNHCR and its partners also provide legal assistance to asylum seekers residing in urban areas on the mainland and in the islands’ reception centers as well as persons who were homeless, self-accommodated, and those in administrative detention. Beneficiaries of international protection were assisted in accessing to procedures for family reunification, obtaining travel documents and certificates.
“Needy asylum seekers have received important support thanks to the EEA grant to help them navigate the asylum process and meet the formal requirements of the procedure while also presenting their cases more clearly, which helps enhance the efficiency of the asylum process,” Leclerc explains.
* The fund for this EEA Grant programme in Greece was operated by ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360.
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