must in such case contribute, in full or in part, to the cost of the material reception conditions and of their health care depending on their own financial resources. The criteria and evidence to be used for assessing whether the applicant has sufficient means and any other relevant necessary detail, as well as the amount of the financial assistance and the pocket money set in Article 1 point (p) Presidential Decree 220/2007shall be in accordance with the provisions of legislative decree 57/73 (O. G. Α'- 149 – measures for the social protection of the financially weak groups and abolishment of the law concerning the poverty state ) and the decisions issued on the basis of this authorisation. It is foreseen by the Greek Action Plan that the task of the First Reception Service envisaged by law No 3907/2011 is, among other things, to ensure that accommodation, food and medical services provided to asylum seekers adheres to a defined set of quality criteria. Renovating and increasing capacity of accommodation facilities for asylum seekers is foreseen in the Greek Action Plan and is considered key to the effective operation of the new asylum system in Greece. The action specifically includes the operation of accommodation structures with particular attention to unaccompanied children. However, instead of increasing such accommodation capacity, Greece is tightening border controls in the Evros border, including the completion of a 10.5km fence last December forcing people to resort to 60 more and more dangerous routes . At the time of writing this report, there were in total less than 1000 reception places available for asylum seekers in Greece, while 15,928 asylum applications were lodged 61 in 2009, 10,273 during 2010, 9,311 in 2011 and 9,577 in 2012. As Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe notes: “this situation leaves a large number of asylum seekers homeless and destitute and renders them particularly vulnerable to manifestations of intolerance and 62 racist violence.” Racist hate crimes are on the rise at an alarming rate in Greece. The impunity of perpetrators and even the discouragement of victims by the police to file an official complaint leave 63 victims stuck between a rock and a hard place. They are left homeless and at an increased risk of being subjected to xenophobic violence. UNHCR went further than Nils Muižnieks and qualified the 64 situation as a “humanitarian crisis”. 2. Forms and levels of material reception conditions Indicators: - Amount of the financial allowance/vouchers granted to asylum seekers on 31/12/2012 (per month, in original currency and in euros): Not applicable. Small amounts are given ad hoc- no standard amount To date, contrary to what is stipulated in the law, the vast majority of asylum seekers still do not receive adequate reception conditions in Greece. According to Presidential Decree 220/2007 asylum seekers cannot stay in Reception Centres for longer than one year. During their stay in Reception Centres, families should be housed in the same place. Also the minor children of applicants or applicants who are minors should be lodged with their parents or with the adult family member responsible for them while respecting their specific needs with the aim 60 61 62 63 64 Amnesty International, Press Release, Refugees dying on dangerous routes to asylum in Europe, 20 March 2013. Source: Hellenic Police, available here. Council of Europe: Commissioner for Human Rights, Report by Nils Muižnieks Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe following his visit to Greece from 28 January to 1 February 2013, 16 April 2013, CommDH(2013)6, p. 5. See for instance Human Rights Watch, Hate on the Streets. Xenophobic Violence in Greece, July 2012, p. 7887. UNHCR, Contribution to the dialogue on migration and asylum, May 2012. 39