▪ ARSIS ▪ Caritas Athens ▪ Centre National Jeunesse ▪ ECRE ▪ Ecumenical Programme for Refugees ▪ European Association for Human Rights ▪ Greek Council for Refugees ▪ Greek National Commission for Human Rights ▪ Group of lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants ▪ Hellenic League for Human Rights ▪ Hellenic Red Cross ▪ IOM ▪ Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights ▪ Racism and Xenophobia network - RAXEN ▪ Refugee Solidarity Committee in Samos ▪ UNHCR The delegation organised one press conference. The visit received media coverage in Greece. A week before the visit, on 6 June 2007, the Vice-President of the European Commission, European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs Franco FRATTINI addressed the emergency situation in the Mediterranean in the plenary of the European Parliament, stressing the fact that the problems occurring in the Mediterranean, due to the mass influx of migrants, demand immediate action at European level. How poignant a coincidence that on the first day of our visit the JHA-council in Luxemburg could, yet again, not reach an agreement on the so urgently needed immediate action. The reaffirmation of the solidarity principle by the JHA-council in its conclusions of 12-13 June 2007 is therefore to be considered meaningless. 2. Background information Until the mid eighties Greece belonged to the traditional migrant sending countries or it functioned merely as a transit country for migrants and refugees intending to settle in other European counties. By the early nineties, however, in a short period of time, Greece had evolved into a host of mainly undocumented migrants from eastern, south-eastern and central Europe, and increasingly from the Third World. The dramatic and sudden increase of migrant influx was a new and unexpected phenomenon for both the Greek government and population. This new situation was characterised by administrative and political confusion with regard to migration policy. Greece lacked a legislative frame for the control and management of migration. Over the years it became increasingly evident that this new PE 392.010v02-00 EN 2/16 PV\675423EN.doc