ANNUAL POLICY REPORT 2012 In order to improve cooperation with Pakistani authorities and to save time required for signing a Bilateral Implementation Protocol, Greece applies the EUPakistan Agreement, in parallel to the process of identification and supply with travel documents, already applied by the competent Aliens Directorate of Attica and the Embassy of Pakistan in Athens. Finally, on 21/06/2012 a Readmission Agreement between the EU and Turkey was initialled and its signature is pending. 5. INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION INCLUDING ASYLUM Greece receives the greatest pressure of all member states at its external borders, while the country's infrastructure is inadequate in relation to the disproportionally large volume of mixed flows required to manage. During the last two years in particular, due to a number of convictions against Greece on issues of treatment of asylum seekers, almost all EU countries have suspended the return of asylum seekers under the "Dublin II." regulation. These decisions considered that Greece did not engage in a "fair and efficient asylum system" which resulted in longstanding uncertainty for the asylum seekers, and that the living and detention conditions of asylum seekers were insufficient. 5.1 Common European Asylum System Greece took part in 2012 in the negotiations for the recast of the Dublin II regulation without however clearly questionning the criterion of responsibility for examining the application for asylum by the country of first entry, until recently when the new government and especially the Minister of Public Order and Citizen Protection stated that there is an effort to change this. The new position is to implement a key redistribution on the basis of which the jurisdiction will not be decided only by the criterion of the country of first entry, but also by other additional criteria, such as soil, population and Gross National Product. Until today, the only country with which Greece has achieved a clear alliance, is Malta150. Under the Law 3907/2011 "Establishment of asylum service and first reception service, adaptation of Greek legislation to the provisions of Directive 2008/115/EC" on common standards and procedures in Member - States for returning illegally residing third countries nationals "and other provisions", the staffing of the Asylum Service (which is the first autonomous structure of the country dealing with the examination of applications for asylum and, more broadly, international protection) has gradually proceeded. The preparation for the full operation of the First Reception Service continues. Until the new asylum service becomes operational, the Greek police is responsible for the asylum procedure (pursuant to Decree 114/2010); however until then, pending asylum applications continue to grow. By December 2012 according to a statement by 150 http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/UserFiles/a08fc2dd-61a9-4a83-b09a09f4c564609d/es20121210.pdf 54