weekends, so even minor emergencies must be referred to the understaffed Chios hospital by police or emergency medical services. Psychosocial evaluations are nearly impossible due to the severe shortage of interpreters, who must focus on urgent needs (e.g. interpretation for the custody of minors).”1038 No significant developments addressing the above mentioned issues have been reported during 2025. Additionally, over the last year, there has been a significant increase of arrivals in South-western Greece (i.e., Crete island, Gavdos island, etc), where no Reception and Identification Centers or any other form of migration/accommodation infrastructure exist. The authorities have proven unable to effectively manage the situation, leaving people for days or even weeks in miserable conditions and bypassing the reception and identification procedures provided by law or even arbitrarily submitting people to automatic detention.1039 In July 2025, following the Greek government’s decision to suspend access to asylum for those arriving to Greece from Northern Africa, in blatant disregard for international, EU and national law, 1040 newly arrived applicants to (primarily) Crete and Gavdos started being transferred to PRDCs, with no access to reception. As per GCR’s observations in Amygdaleza PRDC on 24 July 2025, newcomers subject to this measure had not received any information on the procedures to be followed, nor on the reasons for their detention. Since the decisions to suspend access to asylum as mentioned in the relevant chapter had a limited duration, no other incedents as such was reported. 2.3. Destitution Destitution and homelessness still remain matters of concern in 2025. As stated by UNHCR in February 2020, ‘[h]ousing options and services to cater for the present population are scarce countrywide’.1041 Though the population of concern has since been significantly reduced, following the termination of ESTIA in December 2022, this remained valid in 2022, 2023 and 2024, amidst the sharp increase in arrivals. Following the challenges reported in 2023,1042 the situation of destitution persisted in Rhodes during 2024 and 2025 as well. As reported in October, 1043 hundreds of refugees and migrants continued staying and sleeping in makeshift shelters and on the streets, waiting for their registration and transfer to suitable reception places. To the date of writing this report there is no adequate state-run infrastructure to support the occasional population. Meanwhile, following increased arrivals to the Crete since 2023, severe material deprivation was further accentuated for newcomers during 2024 and 2025. Issues identified included the ad hoc use of improper facilities lacking even beds; limited provision of clothing and shoes and the use unwashed blankets, which often do not suffice to cover the actual needs.1044 A similar situation has developed in Gavdos, which likewise lacks any type of reception facility. 1045 Regarding the Greek mainland, challenges throughout 2025 in accessing asylum, on account of the shortcomings of the MoMA’s newly established online registration system, aside from exposing applicants 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1045 RSA, Chios, 10 December 2024, available here. GCR Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, Greece’s State Party Report, 142nd Session, 14 October 7 November 2024, September 2024. See Joint NGO statement, The unlawful suspension of access to asylum in Greece must be immediately withdrawn, 16 July 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/2v83d4zk. UNHCR, Factsheet, Greece: 1-29 February 2020, 29 February 2020, available at: https://tinyurl.com/h7xz7584. See previous AIDA report on Greece, available at: https://asylumineurope.org/reports/country/greece/. NEWS 24/7, Ρόδος: Εκατοντάδες πρόσφυγες και μετανάστες κοιμούνται σε δρόμους και πάρκα, 24 October 2024, available here. NeaKriti, Chania: the migrant accommodation points at full – 187 persons in an open parking of the Port Authority, 10 March 2024, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/39x8dfk9. For the facility in Chania see here; For the facility in Heraklion see here. The Guardian, ‘Pushed to the limit’: the tiny Greek island in people smugglers’ sights, 27 March 2024, available here; see also H Naftemporiki, Μεταναστευτικό: Συναγερμός για τις εντεινόμενες ροές σε Γαύδο και νότια Κρήτη – Κυβέρνηση: Θα κάνουμε ό,τι απαιτείται, 14 March 2024, available here. 216