In 19 August 2022, a decision of the Greek Council of State paved the way for the continued construction of a new EU-funded CCAC in a 71,250 km2 forest in Vastria, on Lesvos island. However, an application for suspension by the North Aegean Region and by local communities (Komi and N. Kydonia), regarding the access road to the structure of Vastria was accepted by the Commission of Suspensions of the Greek Council of State in temporary decision 199/2022-19/12/2022. This prohibited any construction until the final judgment of the court on the application for its annulment, as it was considered that the construction of the road would lead to irreversible destruction of the forest and impact the rare birdlife of the protected area.212 In August 2023, following an application submitted by the North Aegean Region, the Greek Council of State, in 1335/2023 decision,213 annulled the authorisation approving the CCAC’s construction project in Lesvos, due to lack of an environmental study. In the same judgement, the Council of State annulled the authorisation approving the intervention to the forest area for the construction of the road giving access to the CCAC.214 Subsequently, the then-Minister of MoMA declared that the Ministry has already taken all the necessary steps for the proper environmental classification and approval of the construction of the structure and its accompanying works and so, according to him, its construction was estimated to be finalised by spring 2024.215 However, The North Aegean Region appealed to the Council of State against the validity of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted by the State in September 2023. During the Council’s scheduled session on 16 October 2024, the State decided to withdraw the EIA with the reservation of replacing it with another.216 According to information published by the local authorities, the MoMA is in the process of signing a joint ministerial decision by the competent ministers, which repeals the annulled by the Council of State joint decision [No. 364995/25-07-2023 (D' 701/2023)] and grants a new permit for the construction of the site in Vastria. 217 In Chios, no construction work took place in 2024 either, as the examination of the application submitted by the State to exercise a right to access the area of the construction, had been pending before the Chios Court of the First Instance.218 On 21 October 2024, the Court ruled that the rightful owner of the disputed land is the Municipality of Chios, not the Greek State, thereby reaffirming the local community's longrunning opposition against the construction of the closed structure at the Tholos site.219 On Samos and Leros, the CCAC have been moved to different areas compared to where the previous RICs were located, namely in Zervou (Samos) and Lepida (Leros). Similarly, the new facilities under construction on Lesvos and Chios are located in different areas, namely in Plati – Vastria (Lesvos) and in Akra Pachi – Tholos (Chios). In Kos, the CCAC has been expanded in an area attached to the thenexisting RIC located in Pyli. The new structures have been placed in remote locations, isolated from urban areas with very poor connection to the main cities of each island. More specifically, the new centre in Samos is located 7km away from the city of Vathy, the new centre in Leros is 6km from the city of Agia Marina and the centre in Kos is 15km far away from the city of Kos. Similarly, the new centre in Lesvos is being constructed in an area which is 30km from the city of Mytilene and the planned facility in Chios, is located 11km from the city of Chios.220 Conditions prevailing in the old RICs, converted into CCACs, namely the existing structures in Lesvos and Chios, have not improved and people continue to be hosted in degrading conditions. In the former Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) of Vial, renamed as “CCAC” in Chios, the conditions remain 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 Commission of suspensions, Council of State, 19-12-2022, decision 199/2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3Vdnva1. Summary of Greek Council of State’s the decision n.1335/2023 available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/5n88drdz. ΤaΝea, Council of State: Invalid licensing of a structure in Plati – Vastria, Lesvos, 9 August 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/mpvj7xcv. LesvosNews.Net, Τι θα γίνει τελικά με την Βάστρια; Ι απαντά ο Υπουργός, 19 October 2023, available in greek at: https://tinyurl.com/sn4snjn5. RSA, Refugee facilities on the Aegean islands, Lesvos, 10 December 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3rjz3ku2. POLITIKA, ΠΕΡ. ΒΟΡΕΙΟΥ ΑΙΓΑΙΟΥ για Βάστρια: «Η Διοίκηση με νέα ΚΥΑ περιφρονεί τις αποφάσεις του ΣΤΕ, 23 October 2024, available here. Ert News, Chios: Discontinuation of the hearing for the New Structure in Τholos, 20 September 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/3x2w8sxy. Ert News, Χίος: Δημοτική η έκταση στο Θόλο με απόφαση δικαστηρίου, 25 October 2024 available at: https://tinyurl.com/bdne3dc2. RSA, What is happening today in the refugee structures on the Aegean islands, available at https://tinyurl.com/bdpc6byj. 57