3. PUSHBACK CASES IN EVROS 3.1. The situation in Evros The Evros Landscape: The Evros River forms an approximately 200 km natural border between Greece and Turkey. The Evros islets are not permanently above water and consist of small, mostly deserted pieces of land with no shelter or access to food or potable water. Furthermore, the area adjacent to the Greek-Turkish borders in Evros is a military zone, not accessible to civil society organizations. The Evros Border Fence: In August 2022, the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum announced the government’s plans to extend the 40km long fence along the Greek-Turkish border at Evros as part of efforts to control border crossings of migrants. 23 Earlier in May 2022, the Minister had sent a request to the European Commission arguing that Greece is legally allowed to use EU funds it receives through DG Home’s Border Management for the extension of the Evros border fence24, despite the fact that the Commission has repeatedly opposed demands to use EU funds for building border fences with the argument that they ‘are not the most efficient tool to improve border management’.25 Image 1: Giannis Papanikos / AP / picture alliance, as published by DW. 22 22 DW, Is Greece failing to use EU-funded border surveillance, 9 August 2022, available at: https://bit. ly/3XRj1GX Infomigrants, Greece Stops Large Number of Migrant Crossings at Evros border, 22 August, 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3XLIC4h , GreekCityTimes, Evros: Greek-Turkish Border fence to be extended by 80km, 19 August 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3izZuuJ , GreekReporter, Border walls of Evros to be expanded 80km, 20 August 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3OTYIVt 23 Politico, Brussels Playbook: EPP reshuffle — Greece wants wall — Sanctioning Schröder, 19 May 2022, available at: https://politi.co/3BHwSW 24 25 EPRS, European Parliamentary Research Service, Walls and Fences at EU Borders, October 2022, AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION 9