Monitoring closed controlled facilities on the Greek islands October 2025 - This first monitoring update from the Aegean NGO Network (ANN) examines conditions in the EU-funded Closed Controlled Access Centres (C.C.A.C) on Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros. Based on reports from 11 independent organisations active on the islands, it documents systemic gaps in interpretation services, healthcare provision, and reception conditions. The update also reviews the situation of unaccompanied children in Samos following interim measures by the European Court of Human Rights. Interpretation services on the islands Interpretation services at all C.C.A.C.s on the Aegean islands had been outsourced to the NGO METAdrasi. After repeated delays in payments and contract renewals, the contract has now ended and there is currently no official interpretation provider. An inadequate patchwork solution, with the EUAA offering limited translation and ad-hoc measures, causes serious disruptions in asylum procedures, access to healthcare, and protection on all islands. Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASFF) and another Aegean NGO Network member on Samos confirm that with little or no interpreter assistance, vulnerability assessments are disrupted or not conducted properly. ASFF on Samos reports that the absence of interpretation in several languages (including Uzbek, Urdu, Swahili, and Wolof) has led to problems with the determination of nationality, postponed asylum interviews, delay in the notification of decisions and therefore delays in the appeals and subsequent applications. Boat Refugee Foundation (BRF) reports several cases of people denied healthcare under the Hippocrates Programme on Lesvos due to a lack of interpretation. Fenix found that patients were asked to bring their own interpreters, compromising confidentiality. Residents of the C.C.A.C. on Chios and Kos report to Medical Solidarity International (MSI) and Refugee Biriyani & Bananas (RBB) that interpretation is unavailable for asylum and other essential services. 1/4