B. Closed controlled access centres 1. Preliminary remarks 103. In late 2015 and early 2016, the Greek authorities established on the Aegean islands a number of dedicated Reception and Identification Centres (RICs or so-called “hotspots”) for the registration and processing of foreign nationals crossing irregularly by boat from Türkiye to Greece.44 In accordance with Law 4375/2016, persons arriving in these centres could be deprived of their liberty for up to a total of 25 days while the “reception and identification” procedures were completed. However, by 2020, these centres, which had expanded in a haphazard and uncontrolled manner, were no longer considered fit for purpose and, following the fire in the Moria camp on Lesbos in September 2020, it was decided that they should be replaced by new structures. In November 2020, the European Commission awarded €121 million to Greece for the construction of new reception centres on the Greek islands of Samos, Kos and Leros, which were subsequently opened in late 2021. In EU documents, these centres are referred to as “Multi-Purpose Reception and Identification Centres”, while the Greek government has officially chosen the term “Closed Controlled Access Centres” (CCACs). In March 2023, the European Commission awarded a further grant of €155 million to build additional new reception centres on the islands of Lesvos and Chios. However, these two centres are still not completed, as the Greek government is facing legal obstacles and opposition to their construction from the local community. 104. The CCACs operate under the authority of the Reception and Identification Service of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. They may also include a RIC, a temporary accommodation facility, and special accommodation facilities for persons in a vulnerable situation, including “safe areas” for unaccompanied children. According to Section 40 of Law 4939/2022, foreign nationals can be deprived of their liberty for up to 25 days within a RIC or a CCAC, until they have been fully registered and have received an asylum seeker card. The new centres are usually located away from the main urban areas on the islands and are characterised by their imposing security measures. The CCACs, as observed in Kos and Samos, are surrounded by a double security fence topped with rolls of barbed wire, and feature control systems such as turnstiles, magnetic gates, x-ray scanners and two-factor access control (identity and fingerprint) at the entrance. Each accommodation section of the CCAC is also surrounded by a security fence topped with barbed wire and a turnstile identity control system. Private security companies control access to the centre and are responsible for carrying out checks and body searches on all persons wishing to enter or leave the centres. In addition, a CCTV monitoring system has been installed throughout the CCACs, using “smart” software to ensure early warning about any incidents, with images streamed to the Hellenic Police and the Control Centre at the Ministry for Migration and Asylum in Athens. 105. The CPT considers that the use of barbed wire on the multiple perimeter security fences surrounding each section of the CCACs, including those accommodating families, women, children and persons with special needs and vulnerabilities, is excessive and unnecessary, and should be removed. The CPT recommends that the Greek authorities take the necessary steps to render the areas accommodating families, women, children and persons with special needs and vulnerabilities as welcoming as possible. To this end, the perimeter fencing around the accommodation sections should not be topped with barbed wire. 106. The CCACs have the potential to offer better living conditions for migrants and asylum seekers for periods of up to a few months. However, they face significant shortcomings in legal assistance, healthcare provision, vulnerability assessment and interpretation services, and the basic reception and protection needs of applicants for international protection are often not met. Further, the excessive security and barbed wire fencing make the CCACs unsuitable for accommodating children and persons in a vulnerable situation. 44. Moria “hotspot” (Lesvos) started operating in October 2015; VIAL (Chios) and Lepida (Leros) “hotspots” became operational in February, Vathi “hotspot” (Samos) in March, and Pyli “hotspot” (Kos) in May 2016. 33