According to Article 1-λγ of the Asylum Code the following groups are considered as vulnerable groups: ‘children; unaccompanied children; direct relatives of victims of shipwrecks (parents, siblings, children, husbands/wives); disabled persons; elderly; pregnant women; single parents with minor children; victims of human trafficking; persons with serious illness; persons with cognitive or mental disability and victims of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence such as victims of female genital mutilation.’ According to Article 62(2) of the Asylum Code ‘The assessment of vulnerability shall take place during the identification process, the registration process and the medical screening of the Art. 41 without prejudice to the assessment of international protection needs’. According to Article 62(4) of the Asylum Code ‘Only the persons belonging to vulnerable groups are considered to have special reception needs and thus benefit from the special reception conditions’. Article 62(3) of the Asylum Code provides that ‘[…] the special condition of applicants, even if it becomes apparent at a later stage of the examination of the application for international protection, is taken into account throughout this procedure […]’. According to Article 77(3) of the Asylum Code: ‘[…]Upon the completion of the medical and psychosocial assessment, the (Medical Screening and Psychosocial Support) Unit of the RIC […] shall inform the Head of the competent RAO. The above-mentioned assessment is also notified to the Manager of the RIC. That assessment shall have as only consequence the immediate provision of special reception conditions and special procedural guarantees to the applicant.’ According to Article 72 of the Asylum Code relating to special procedural guarantees: ‘The Receiving Authorities shall assess within a reasonable period of time after an application for international protection is submitted, or at any point of the procedure the relevant needs arise, whether the applicant requires special procedural guarantees, due to their age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, psychological disorder or because they are a victim of torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence.’ The number of asylum seekers registered by the Asylum Service as vulnerable in 2022 was not provided. The number and type of decisions taken at first instance on cases of vulnerable applicants in 2022 was not provided. The number of first instance decisions granting refugee status or subsidiary protection to vulnerable applicants in 2022 was not provided.451 In Greece in 2022, through vulnerability assessments for residents in the reception facilities in the context of support to first and second-line reception, EUAA staff identified 4,805 persons as presenting vulnerability indicators.452 1.1 Screening of vulnerability 1.1.1 Vulnerability identification in the border regions The identification of vulnerability of persons arriving at the border regions shall take place, according to the Asylum Code which repealed the IPA, either by the RIS before the registration of the asylum application or during the asylum procedure. Vulnerability identification by the RIS According to Article 41(d) of the Asylum Code, in the context of reception and identification procedures carried out by the RIS: ‘[…] The Manager of [RIC] or the Unit, acting on a motivated proposal of the competent medical staff of the Centre, shall refer persons belonging to vulnerable groups to the competent public 451 452 Ibid. Information provided by the EUAA, 28 February 2023. 107