Coping with a fundamental rights emergency – The situation of people crossing the Greek border in an irregular manner Background to this report Concerned by relevant reports of the European Commission, FRONTEX, the Council of Europe, international organisations and NGOs on the fundamental rights situation in the Evros border region, the FRA with the consensus of its Executive Board in January 2011 decided to investigate the situation in depth. FRA’s visit on site aimed to understand the obstacles and difficulties in responding immediately to the humanitarian emergency and to provide evidence‐based advice to the relevant authorities to fully respect fundamental rights. This report is based on data collected directly by FRA staff through interview‐based fieldwork research with key actors, including all relevant public authorities, and through observation of the actual conditions. In addition, secondary data were collected and analysed. Semi‐structured personal interviews with representatives of competent national, regional and local authorities, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, the Greek Ombudsman, the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO), FRONTEX, UNHCR, as well as key NGOs, such as the Greek Refugee Council, Arsis and Praksis, were carried out by two senior FRA staff members.8 The interviews were complemented by desk review of existing material as well as on‐site visits to selected facilities, including detention centres in the Evros region. The FRA National Focal Point of its racism and xenophobia network, RAXEN, provided logistical support and carried out case studies which illustrate the issues covered in this report. The Greek authorities, FRONTEX and all other actors involved provided the FRA with all relevant data and information. In particular, the Aliens Division of the Hellenic Police granted the FRA unimpeded access to all facilities and was completely transparent, greatly facilitating its work. The FRA would also like to thank the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Security and the General Secretary of Migration Policy in the Ministry of Interior for their key input. The situation in Greece provides an opportunity to examine how EU standards operate under stress. By documenting the situation in Greece, this report intends to illustrate the challenges in applying EU policies in the field of immigration, asylum and return. In this sense, while the current report focuses on Greece, it addresses an issue of EU relevance and importance. The report’s findings shall primarily serve to identify and implement immediate solutions to the plight of the thousands who cross the border and are apprehended and detained. This report may serve, more generally, to provide evidence for the development of effective policies at EU and national level for similar situations that may occur in future. 8 One staff member is a senior legal expert on asylum and migration issues and one staff member is a senior social scientist, expert on discrimination and integration issues. 10