Press Release Joint Letter Cash Assistance

26th February 2026

Cash assistance payment has not been provided consistently to asylum seekers in Greece since April 2024, This prolonged disruption has created a long term crisis for asylum seekers in the country and denies them their legal right to dignified living. 

In a joint letter signed by I Have Rights and 34 other NGOs operating in Greece, the letter calls for urgent action by the Greek government and the European Commission to remedy the situation.

The joint statement- “Provision of cash assistance to asylum seekers in Greece must resume immediately” highlights ongoing issues in the cash assistance payments dating back to at least 2021. Cash assistance payment, intended to complement material reception conditions, is a legal obligation of the Greek state, under both EU and Greek law, and not a favour or a discretionary benefit. The Greek government is effectively denying asylum seekers their legal right to dignified living conditions and is exposing asylum seekers to inhuman and degrading treatment.

The signatories of the joint statement work with asylum seekers accommodated in refugee camps across Greece. People have reported the ongoing difficulties of the near two year interruption in cash assistance. Asylum seekers with high levels of needs and vulnerabilities have been particularly impacted, describing serious difficulties in meeting basic needs such as food, transportation and sanitation. The continued suspension of cash assistance has a clear and measured impact on asylum seekers’ ability to live with dignity in Greece.

On Samos, I Have Rights clients consistently report problems with food quality, access to health care and issues accessing public transportation. The continued absence of cash assistance removes people’s ability to have agency or choice in meeting their basic needs. One I Have Rights Client with a young daughter reported that the camp authorities provided formula that was making her daughter sick. She reported that she had no money to buy the appropriate formula and that an appropriate alternative was not provided by the authorities. Additionally another client reported that he would regularly skip meals “because it (the food) is so bad and so close to impossible to swallow” he further reported that he cannot afford to buy alternative food.

The situation with cash assistance has become critical over the last twenty one months- the issue has been prevalent in Greece since 2021 when the Greek government took over responsibility for its provision. Over the past 5 years, this issue has been raised in multiple NGO Statements in October and November 2021, March 2022, September 2024 and March 2025, highlighting persistent and systematic failures in the administration of the cash assistance payments across Greece. Whether this situation results from mismanagement or constitutes a deliberate policy choice arising from an increasingly restrictive migration policy, the inevitable outcome is the same: asylum seekers are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. The last twenty one months have seen a significant escalation of these ongoing issues, placing additional pressure on asylum seekers across Greece.

The joint letter makes the following demands.

Demands to the Greek State:

  • Immediately resume payments of cash assistance to asylum seekers
  • Ensure that applicants receive backdated payments for the months of May 2024 to January 2026, even in cases where they have in the meantime received international protection
  • Ensure that cash assistance payments are made immediately following registration of an asylum claim

Demands to the European Commission:

  • Take action to ensure that EU funds disbursed for the purpose of cash assistance are properly managed by Greece, such that it meets its legal obligations, and people seeking international protection receive the support that they need to meet their basic human need.

The Statement can be accessed in full here: JOINT STATEMENT: Provision of Cash Assistance to Asylum Seekers in Greece must Resume Immediately | I Have Rights.