Recognition of qualifications According to an ongoing survey conducted by UNHCR since 2022, from 1 January 2025 to 20 November 2025, out of 99 beneficiaries of international protection surveyed, 19% had university level eduction and higher.1478 However, to date, the D.O.A.T.A.P – Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Centre (Hellenic NARIC), the official body of the Hellenic Republic for the academic recognition of titles and qualifications awarded by foreign Higher Education Institutions, has not provided any exceptions from its extremely strict requirements for the recognition of university degrees of beneficiaries of international protection. The following requirements must be met and submitted: a legally certified copy of High School Diploma and translation in Greek; a legally certified copy of the degree to be recognised and its official translation in Greek; a legally certified copy of the official transcript of records (grades from all subjects and from all the years of study, signed and stamped by the University, stating the date of award) and its official translation in Greek; the University Certificate. 1479 Moreover, L. 4957/2022 establishes the National Register of Recognised Higher Education Institutions of Foreign Countries and the National Register of Types of Degrees of Recognised Higher Education Institutions of Foreign Countries, which includes extremely difficult conditions to be met by the refugees for the inclusion of their universities in it. 1480 These requirements are impossible to be met by the vast majority of beneficiaries of international protection. Thus, most of them cannot continue their education in their field of studies. In 2025, a total of 9,637 applications for recognition of titles and qualifications were submitted to DOATAP and 9,099 acts were issued recognising academic titles, 1481 though available statistics do not provide a breakdown based on legal status. F. Social welfare The law provides access to social welfare for beneficiaries of international protection without drawing any distinction between refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. Moreover, the law provides that beneficiaries of international protection are to enjoy the same rights and receive the necessary social assistance according to the terms that apply to Greek nationals, without discrimination. 1482 A significant development in 2025 was the European Commission’s decision to refer Greece to the CJEU, in November 2025, pursuant to infringement proceedings triggered since January 2023 (INFR(2022)2044), on account of the state’s persistent failure to comply with the aforementioned law provisions and, in particular, Article 29(1) of Directive 2011/95/EU, with regards to the rights of beneficiaries of international protection to access social welfare without discrimination.1483 To be noted, discriminatory treatment can be seen as arising both on account of residency requirements that beneficiaries cannot reasonably be expected to meet (see Types of social benefits) and on account of changes, since Decemer 2023, in the requirements for activating the Social Security Number (AMKA). Namely, pursuant to Article 6 paragraph 5 point (bb) of JMD Φ80320/109864/14.12.2023, in order for third country nationals to be eligible to activate their AMKA, they also need to hold a valid employment contract or be self-employment. This is a requirement not foreseen for either Greek or EU citizens, which results in beneficiaries who have not secured lawful employment being unable to activate their AMKA and thus also in their exclusion from public healthcare, with a particularly pronounced impact on beneficiaries who 1478 1479 1480 1481 1482 1483 UNHCR, Greece Inter-Agency Protection Monitoring of refugees in Greece, Key Findings, 01 February 2022 – 20 November 2025, available at: https://tinyurl.com/k9vtxdwy. DOATAP website available at: https://bit.ly/3q8RqET. Article 304 L.4957/2022. DOATAP website, Statistics, available in Greek at: https://www.doatap.gr/enhmerosh/statistika/. Articles 28 and 29 Asylum Code. European Commission, “Commission decides to refer GREECE to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to align its rules on family benefits with EU law”, 21 November 2025, available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/ip_25_2553. 287