recognised refugees, under the age of 15 years old, and have applied for family reunification do not require a family reunification interview. Instead, a written memo has to be submitted before the Asylum Unit for Beneficiaries of International Protection (AUIPB). Despite the fact that P.D. 131/2006 does not include siblings as family members, the AUIPB, in cases of unaccompanied minors, is asking from the Director of the Asylum Service an ad hoc exception in order to issue a positive family reunification decision also for the refugee’s siblings. Indicative cases illustrating the obstacles Three family reunification cases, represented by GCR, have been brought before the ECtHR in 2023 and are still pending: The first one concerns a stateless Rohingya unable to obtain travel documents (ECtHR, Suji v. Greece, communicated case - 13250/23).1393 Even though Mr. Suji had submitted to the Greek authorities a commitment letter by the ICRC, ensuring the issuance of Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) as soon as a positive family reunification decision would be issued, no such decision was issued for more than four (4) years. The family was reunited in Greece in November 2024, after five years of continuous interventions and an application before the ECtHR.1394 The second one concerns a case of an Afghan national, unable to obtain family reunification documents other than those issued by the Taliban regime, which are not recognised by the Greek State and are not certified by the competent Greek Consulate (ECtHR, Dotani v. Greece, communicated case - 31077/23).1395 The third case concerns the family reunification of a refugee from Burundi with his family members who are asylum applicants in South Africa. As a result, they cannot obtain travel documents required by law (ECtHR, T.N.v. Greece - 41855/23).1396 All the aforementioned cases were prioritised by the Court as cases of exceptional importance. The decisions are pending. Furthermore, a damages action (αγωγή αποζημίωσης) for a recognised refugee from DRC regarding the delay of the enforcement of the family reunification decision for more than 6 years from its issuance was submitted before the Administrative Court of Athens in December 2023 and is still pending as of May 2026. On 7 April 2025, a request for priority scheduling of a hearing was submitted before the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens due to the seriously deteriorating health condition of applicant. Despite the submission of extensive documentation, the request was rejected. As of the time of writing, the are still awaiting the scheduling of a hearing date. 1397 An application for annulment (case No. AK347/2025) was filed in March 2025 before the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens, in a case represented by GCR,following the implicit rejection by the Asylum Service of a family reunification request submitted on behalf of a recognised refugee from Yemen. The case concerns a request for family reunification with his spouse and his nephew, of whom he is the legal guardian following a Yemeni court decision, as adoption is not permitted under Yemeni law. A hearing had been scheduled for 20 March 2026; however, it was adjourned ex officio by the Court to 23 October 2026. The underlying application was rejected by the Asylum Service on the basis of a narrow interpretation of the relevant legal provisions, without taking into account the broader concept of family life in refugee contexts, the impossibility for refugees to comply with requirements that are objectively impossible, the need for an in-depth assessment of the family situation, or the best interests of the child. 1393 1394 1395 1396 1397 ECtHR, Suji v. Greece, App. No. 13250/23, available in French here. GCR, Press release, Ανιθαγενής αναγνωρισμένος πρόσφυγας επανενώνεται με την οικογένεια του στην Ελλάδα μετά από χρόνια, available in Greek here. ECtHR, Dotani v. Greece, App. No. 31077/23, available in French here. ECtHR, T.N. v. Greece, App. No. 41855/23, available in French here. Application for priority scheduling of a hearing before the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens, case registration No. ΓΠ18301/7.4.2025. 272