Memorandum of Understanding: Commission support for the situation on the Greek islands Questions and Answers
How did the EU respond to the emergency situation in Lesvos following the fires?
After the fire in the Moria camp last September, the Commission provided immediate support to assist the Greek authorities to ensure that the 12,362 people left without shelter would be accommodated as a matter of priority.
The Commission supported the rapid transfer and accommodation of 406 unaccompanied children and teenagers from Lesvos to the mainland of Greece. The Commission also provided exceptional financial assistance payment to support people affected by the fires and funded the use of two ferryboats to transport refugees and beneficiaries of international protection to the mainland in an effort to alleviate the reception facilities on Lesvos. Greece also requested help through the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism and over 170,000 items were supplied by Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK.
What is the current state of play in the temporary camp in Lesvos?
The temporary camp currently hosts approximately 7,200 people and a winterisation plan has been put in place by the Commission, the Greek authorities and the organisations on the ground led by UNICEF. To this end, on 19 November, the Commission awarded an initial €5 million grant agreement to finance the necessary works for improving the electricity, water and sewage systems of the temporary site.
What expert support is the EU providing in Lesvos?
The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) currently deploys 900 staff in Greece. An additional call for experts was issued in October to improve the temporary facilities and prepare for the new reception facilities. An expert group composed of engineers from Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and EASO conducted a first technical mission to assess the suitability of various locations for the new reception facilities on the island.
EASO is also supporting the deployment of civil engineers and architects that will help site planning, improve the conditions in the temporary site and support the design of the new facilities.
Is the Commission supporting new reception facilities on other Greek islands?
In November 2020, the Commission signed a grant agreement with the Greek authorities for the construction of 3 new reception centres on the Greek islands of Samos, Kos and Leros. These new facilities will include i) reception facilities, ii) safe zones for unaccompanied children and teenagers and other vulnerable people, iii) facilities for procedures after initial arrivals and required administrative areas, iv) facilities needed to guarantee access to services, v) common and recreational areas and vi) pre-removal centres. The EU funding amounts to €121 million and the three new centres are expected to become operational by September 2021. In addition to these facilities and the new facilities in Lesvos, funding was also allocated by the budgetary authorities to build a new centre in Chios.
What is the Commission doing to protect unaccompanied children and vulnerable people?
In order to ensure the protection of unaccompanied children and teenagers in Greece, a relocation scheme from Greece to participating Member States is organised by the Greek authorities in coordination by the Commission with the support of EASO, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR. In addition to its coordinating role, the Commission supports this relocation scheme financially.
Following the destruction of the Moria camp, Member States and associated countries pledged to relocate more unaccompanied children and teenagers, beneficiaries of international protection and vulnerable asylum seekers from Lesvos and Greece.
The Commission recently doubled its financial support to match the increased number of pledges, bringing the overall contribution to about €30 million and extending the project until the end of April 2021. To date, over 1,600 people were relocated 13 Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Slovenia, Netherlands and Italy) and 3 associated countries (Norway, Switzerland and Iceland).
For More Information
Press release: Commission and Greece agree joint plan for a new reception centre in Lesvos