spring of last year, upon termination of its HARP programme. In a report of a 31 March 2023 mission of its Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs “to Malakasa Camp against the background of deterioration of the situation there”, the European Commission notes: “The phase out of IOM services will have an impact on the daily operation in the camp. In particular, transportation in combination with interpretation will be a problematic issue.” 54 Furthermore, even during the active operation of the RIS transport programme, cases supported by RSA indicate that residents are informed by the authorities that transfers related to access to medical services and to doctors’ appointments are awarded priority. Residents, however, are not systematically and clearly informed of the necessary notice they need to give camp management in order to secure a place on the rented bus. Due to this, transport has become possible only upon intervention from their lawyers even in urgent cases. Case study: Parwana* and Farhad* are refugees from Afghanistan and parents to five children. They remain in CTRC Ritsona without documentation or access to reception conditions following the final rejection of their asylum claim based on the “safe third country” concept. The family informed the camp of a scheduled appointment with the Médecins Sans Frontières clinic in Athens in mid-February 2024 for which they required transport. They were informed, however, that no place was available on the bus that day. They proceeded to reschedule their medical appointment for four days later but were again told by the camp that no places were available on that date either. On the same day, RSA lawyers and the RSA social worker wrote to the camp and the family was ultimately included in the transport list. The family arranged their next appointment with Médecins Sans Frontières at the end of February and requested travel arrangements five days prior. They were, however, orally informed by the camp that no place was available for them. Following a new intervention of their lawyers to CTRC Ritsona, the family was included in the transport schedule on the day of their appointment. Treatment of vulnerable persons Vulnerability assessment Greek law prescribes that “The assessment of whether persons entering without legal requirements are vulnerable shall be conducted upon their identification procedure during the registration and medical check procedures” carried out by the RIS in the RIC or CCAC throughout the territory. 55 That process is marred by severe, chronic deficiencies in particular in the CCAC on the Eastern Aegean islands.56 In last year’s report on the island CCAC, we noted that “With the current 54 55 56 European Commission, Email correspondence: ‘Report visit Malakasa 31.03.2023’, Ares(2023)2924595, 4 April 2023. Articles 41 and 62(2) Greek Asylum Code. See also Article 16 JMD 1/7433/2019. RSA et al., The state of the border procedure on the Greek islands, September 2023, 16-17, available here. RSA REPORT │ REFUGEE CAMPS IN MAINLAND GREECE | JUN 2024 17