Together with four organizations, I Have Rights urges the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, to use the EU Commission’s oversight to monitor and improve conditions in the Samos CCAC to address its persistent shortcomings and human rights concerns.

Ahead of last year’s adoption of the ‘New Pact on Migration and Asylum’, NGOs warned that the reforms would lead to extended use of de facto detention and human rights violations at EU borders. These concerns are already materialising in the Samos CCAC where reports of people on the move highlight ongoing issues:

  • De facto detention: Newly arrived people on the move continue to be subjected to prolonged de facto detention through “Restriction of Freedom” orders, without apparent individual and vulnerability assessments.
  • Inadequate conditions: People on the move describe being forced to stay in overcrowded, dilapidated spaces,  often sleeping on cardboard on the floor. 
  • Dire sanitation facilities:  Limited access to running and hot water and poor sanitation facilities makes maintaining personal hygiene challenging. Precarious conditions further contribute to the spread and prevalence of preventable diseases. Limited access to water and pest infestations exacerbate these conditions. 

The EU Commission has played a key role in the ideation, funding, operation and monitoring of the CCACs in Greece. Given the alarming situation in the Samos CCAC, the EU Commission should urgently act to ensure that Greek authorities address prevailing shortcomings. If not, the Samos CCAC risks becoming a dangerous blueprint for other EU Member States as they implement the ‘New Pact on Migration and Asylum’.

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