Working Paper 44/2014 Recommendations 1. Greece must explore its alternatives before resorting to a measure that entails huge financial and political risks and cannot bring the desired outcomes, even by the mere fact that it cannot survive legally for long. 2. Greece can invest in setting higher incentives for migrants to return to their home countries and pursue a closer co-operation with the International Organisation for Migration that carries out voluntary return programmes. 3. The authorities can reduce the overall financial costs of their policy framework by assessing on a more individualised basis the status of irregular migrants in particular of those that are currently in detention, by taking into account that:   In view of the recent crisis, many migrants who have lived in Greece legally for over ten years lost their residence permits over the past months. The authorities should seek to regularise their stay, in particular since many of these people have developed ties with the country that would entitle them to a residence status. Asylum seekers and other persons whose removal is not feasible must not be held in detention for as long as their removal cannot be carried out. Supplementary measures can also include       Surveillance schemes alternative to detention. Pilot schemes have been tried in Belgium, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom but also Australia and the USA24. While state authorities have been often reluctant to adopt such schemes, the overall assessment is positive. Avoid detention from the start, particularly when minors and families are involved. Screen and assess individual cases, presuming that detention is used in exceptional circumstances. Provide legal counselling and regularly updated information on the progress of their case. Offer social and psychological support to adults and families. Enroll children to school. Supervise regularly especially when the time comes when removal is imminent but seek to resort to detention only in exceptional circumstances. 24 Forced Migration Review, fall 2013, Issue no. 44, pages 40-62. 11