2.2.2. Transfers Transfers under the Dublin III Regulation are carried out by the Asylum Service, with the assistance of EUAA personnel. The Transfer Department of the Dublin Unit follows the transfer procedure. Under this scope, the department coordinates with the responsible travel agency for the tickets to be booked and sent to the applicants or/ and their solicitors in due time. Before the transfer takes place, the Dublin Unit submits medical documents to the airline company, as well as the requested Member State. On the day of transfer, an employee from the Department of Foreign Affairs meets the applicants at the airport in order to provide them with a laissez-passer, help them with the check-in and boarding. The abovementioned information regarding the transfer is forwarded to the asylum seekers by the Greek Dublin Unit, along with the tickets. Travel costs are covered by the Asylum Service. A total of 1,077 Dublin transfers were implemented in 2022, compared to 2133 in 2021. Outgoing Dublin transfers by month: 2022 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total 105 60 157 76 95 115 156 35 113 44 50 71 1,077 Source: Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Statistics available at: https://bit.ly/3uyzcLG. 2.3. Personal interview Indicators: Dublin: Personal Interview Same as regular procedure 1. Is a personal interview of the asylum seeker in most cases conducted in practice in the Dublin procedure? Yes No ❖ If so, are interpreters available in practice, for interviews? Yes No 2. Are interviews conducted through video conferencing? Frequently Rarely Never Detailed personal Dublin interviews on the merits do not usually take place when outgoing requests are pending for the transfer of asylum seekers under the family reunification procedure. Questions relating to the Dublin procedure are addressed to the applicant in an interview framework. Applicants identify the family member they desire to reunite with and provide all the relevant contact details and documentation. Questions relating to the Dublin procedure (e.g. on the presence of other family members in other Member States) are always addressed to the applicant during the Regular Procedure: Personal Interview examining the asylum claim. According to GCR’s experience, applicants who at this later stage, well after the three-month deadline, express their will to be reunited with a close family member in another EU Member State, have the chance to apply for family reunification. In several cases handled by GCR, the Dublin Unit strives to send the outgoing request as soon as possible, after the written consent and all necessary documents have been submitted. Interviews in non-family reunification cases tend to be more detailed when it is ascertained that an asylum seeker, after being fingerprinted, has already applied for asylum in another EU Member State. 79