the Greek authorities lack relevant resources, such as interpreters. The conduct of these procedures by Frontex is defined by an internal regulation. It should be noted that, even though the Greek authorities may base their decision concerning the nationality of a newcomer exclusively on an assessment by Frontex, documents issued by the latter are considered to be ‘non-paper’ and thereby inaccessible to individuals. Assessments by Frontex are thus extremely difficult to challenge in practice. UNHCR/IOM: provide information to newly arrived persons. Asylum Service: According to IPA, the Asylum Service is present in the hotspots. Specifically: ‘(a) third-country national or stateless person wishing to seek international protection, shall be referred to the competent Regional Asylum Office, a Task Force of which may operate in the RIC; (b) both the receipt of applications and the interviews of applicants may take place within the premises of the RIC, in a place where confidentiality is ensured’. 297 EUAA (previously EASO): EUAA also participates in the asylum procedure. EUAA experts have a rather active role within the scope of the Fast-Track Border Procedure, as its officers conduct first instance personal interviews, and they issue opinions regarding asylum applications. Following a legislative reform in 2018, Greek-speaking EASO (now EUAA) personnel can also conduct any administrative action for processing asylum applications, including in the Regular Procedure.298 Following a mission conducted in Greece in 2019, ECRE published a report in November 2019 which provides a detailed overview on the role of EASO in Greece.299 RIS: The RIS previously outsourced medical and psychosocial care provision to NGOs until mid-2017. Since then, the provision of said services have been undertaken by the Ministry of Health, throughout different entities under its supervision. At the end of 2019, the National Organisation for Public Health (Εθνικός Οργανισμός Δημόσιας Υγείας, ΕΟΔΥ, also EODY), a private entity supervised and funded directly by the Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity, 300 was the competent body for the provision of medical and psychosocial services in CCACs. EODY had serious shortcomings in staffing and medical supplies, resulting in poor provision of services, including vulnerability assessment procedures. As of 8 June 2024, EODY was replaced by ‘Ippocratis I’ project run by IOM. 301 Since then, the project has initiated a recruiting process, however shortages in medical staff and supplies (i.e., no doctor in Samos, Leros, Chios and Kos) are observed in all Medical and Psychosocial divisions of CCACs, fact that has significant impact on the provision of vulnerability assessment/ provision of health services. 302 ‘Ippocrates I’ staff is present in the CCAC only during the weekdays and working hours (from morning until early afternoon) . Security personnel in CCACs: The surplus private security personnel guarding each accommodation and other sections of the CCAC is not assisted by interpreters. The lack of interpretation services leads to the endogenous inability of the CCAS’s residents to communicate their needs; especially considering that the latter cannot access services or exit their containers if they do not carry with them their asylum applicant’s ID cards. In the aftermath of the fires which destroyed the Moria facility on the Greek island of Lesvos, the Task Force was set up within the European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME). The mission of the Task Force is the coordination of the Union’s work on all strategic, 297 298 299 300 301 302 Article 39(6) IPA Article 65(16) and 90(3) b IPA. See also ECRE, The Role of EASO Operations in National Asylum Systems, November 2019, available at: https://bit.ly/3cSt5rs. ECRE, The Role of EASO Operations in national asylum systems, November 2019, available at: https://bit.ly/3cSt5rs. Established by L 4633/2019. IOM, IPPOKRATIS I - Provision of medical and psychosocial services to residents of the accommodation facilities under the responsibility of the Reception and Identification Service, available here. RSA, What is happening today in the refugee structures on the Aegean islands, available at https://tinyurl.com/bdpc6byj, RSA, Refugee facilities on the Aegean islands, Kos, 10 December 2024, available at: https://rsaegean.org/el/kos-2024/, RSA, “Refugee facilities on the Aegean islands”, Leros, 10 December 2024, available at: https://rsaegean.org/el/leros-2024/, RSA, “Refugee facilities on the Aegean islands”, Samos, 10 December 2024, available at: https://rsaegean.org/el/samos-2024/, also based on GCR’s observations from the field. 72