May 2019 | Reception crisis in Northern Greece: three years of emergency solutions INTRO With increased refugee arrivals during 2018 iand transfers from overcrowded island hotspots being an imperative, there are permanently refugees in need of shelter in mainland Greece. The Greek government never managed to move on from an emergency reception approach to more mid- or even long-term solutions. The numbers of refugees in need of shelter exceed those anticipated by Greek authorities for a third year in row. As a result, refugee camps in the mainland became once more overcrowded while substandard reception conditions have a detrimental impact upon the physical and mental health of their residents. Camps that have ceased to operate in 2017 because of conditions re-opened their gates in spring 2018. Tents are being set up in the camps and then dismantled depending on the needs and hotels are rented as short-term shelters during the winter without seemingly any plan for what comes next. Until today only three out of the 28 camps operating in the mainland have the required legal basis. Different forms of accommodation fuel fights and rifts between residents and often protests break because of the poor conditions. Females in particular fear for their safety and those highly vulnerable such as victims of torture are away from necessary services. Meanwhile, recognized refugees asked to leave mainland camps following a decision by the Ministry of Migration Policy face the risk of homelessness and destitution. The substandard conditions in Greece’s mainland camps coupled with tensions and the lack of prospects, underline further the need for a functioning reception system for recognized refugees and asylum-seekers with the objective of finding dignified long-term solutions that will allow also their integration in local societies. Increased efforts of other EU states such as Germany to return asylum-seekers and recognized refugees to Greece under the Dublin III Regulation and via a new bilateral deal on returns ignore the systemic deficiencies in Greece’s reception system and their impact upon many vulnerable refugees and asylum-seekers ii At the end of August 2018 and in February and March 2019, Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) researchers conducted interviews with individual refugees and families (28 cases) living in five refugee camps in Northern and Central Greece (Central Macedonia, Epirus and iii Thessaly). Those interviewed were living in the camps of Vaghiochori, Diavata, Nea Kavala, Koutsochero and Filippiada. This work is a follow-up to earlier research conducted by RSA on iv the reception conditions in mainland refugee camps in Attika region. https://rsaegean.org/en/reception-crisis-in-northern-greece-three-years-of-emergency-solutions 3