ANNUAL POLICY REPORT 2012 ΑΝΝΕΧΕS Annex Α: Μethodology and Definitions. Α1. Methodology. The starting point for locating and collecting the essential information for the Annual Policy Report in accordance with the respective guidelines 2012 was the respective archive at the Laboratory on the Study of Migration and Diaspora (EMMEDIA). This archive is kept in electronic form and is regularly updated. After having assessed the available data, it became evident that specifications and supplementary data was needed on a migration issue-by-issue basis. Access to this data was gained through official websites of responsible state authorities, international intergovernmental bodies, NGOs and migrant organizations as well as special websites of the European Commission on migration and asylum policy and its flanking policies (visa policy ad policy for the management of external borders), and of the Council of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs. The extent and the content of the public discourse on certain issues were defined at the political level by the parliamentary control exercised by the MPs in the Hellenic Parliament and the MEPs in the European Parliament, by reports of the Independent Authorities and Committees, whereas at the level of public opinion public debates were delineated by the Media (Press, TV, Radio) and other electronic forms of information. As regards the proposed and adopted amendments of the primary legislative framework and the secondary law, information was obtained from the website of the Hellenic Parliament, the National Printing House, the Secretariat General of the Government, Diaygeia and OpenGov. Whenever statistics were not available on the websites of the responsible authorities, a respective request was addressed to the Hellenic Statistics (EL.STAT.) or the responsible Ministries/authorities. More specifically, information has been collected either directly from relevant reliable/official websites or after relevant contact/interview with officials from:  Ministries of Foreign Affairs; Interior; Public Order and Citizen’s protection/Hellenic Force; Maritime Affairs and Aegean/Hellenic Coastguard; Health; Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.  Secretariat General of the Government; Hellenic Parliament; OpenGov; Diaygeia; National Printing House; Hellenic Statistics (EL.STAT.).  Ombudsman for the Migrant, the Refugee and the Ethnic Greek; National Committee on the Rights of Human.  Parliamentary political parties.  European Commission/DG Home Affairs; Commissioner C. Malmström; European Parliament; EU Court of Justice; FRONTEX.  Council of Europe; European Court for Human Rights; UN Special 71