4. Determining authority Name in English Number of staff (2025) Asylum Service N/A Ministry responsible Is there any political interference possible by the responsible Minister with the decision making in individual cases by the first instance authority? Ministry on Migration and Asylum Yes No The Asylum Service is responsible for examining applications for international protection and competent to take decisions at first instance. Staffing and capacity Asylum Service: PD 104/2012, as modified by L 4375/2016, provides for Regional Asylum Offices (RAO) to be set up in Attica, Thessaloniki, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Crete, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Rhodes. It is possible to establish more than one Regional Asylum Office per region by way of Ministerial Decision for the purpose of covering the needs of the Asylum Service. 20 Further changes were introduced via P.D. 106/2020 (Article 26-31). At the end of April 2024, the Greek Asylum Service (‘GAS’) had a combined staff of 965 persons (permanent and interim staff, EUAA embedded staff).21 Throughout 2025, the offices registered the following numbers of first-time international protection applications: Regional Asylum Office/Units/Facility RAO Attica RAO Piraeus RAO Alimos AAU Amygdaleza RIC Malakasa AAU for Asylum Applicants under custody AAU Corinth RAO Thessaloniki Sintiki Serres AAU Safe Countries of Origin RIC Diavata RAO Patra AAU Ioannina RIC Fylakio RAO Thrace AAU Paranesti CCAC Lesvos CCAC Samos CCAC Chios CCAC Leros 20 21 Registrations 2025 (first time) 878 20 140 970 9,784 212 178 270 3,378 472 6,863 170 37 7,644 22 80 4,267 7,012 3,461 3,833 Article 1(3) L 4375/2016. Info provided by the MoMA as part of its right to reply to the 2023 Update of the present report. 28