established by the majority of actors allowing asylum applicants and recognised refugees to access information and services in person and remotely. 899 H. Differential treatment of specific nationalities in the procedure Indicators: Treatment of Specific Nationalities 1. Are applications from specific nationalities considered manifestly well-founded? ❖ If yes, specify which: Syria Yes No 2. Are applications from specific nationalities considered manifestly unfounded? 900 Yes No ❖ If yes, specify which: Egypt, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Georgia, Gambia, Ghana, India, Morocco, Bangladesh, Benin, Nepal, Pakistan, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia Syria Since 2014 up until the first half of 2021, Syrians and stateless persons were channelled into a fast-track procedure often resulting in the granting of refugee status. This applied to those with a former residence in Syria who could provide original documents such as passports, or who had been identified as Syrians/persons with a former residence in Syria within the scope of the Reception and Identification Procedure; provided that the EU-Türkiye Statement and the Fast-track border procedure did not apply to their cases. However, the Joint Ministerial Decision 42799/2021 issued in June 2021, pursuant to Article 86 of L. 4636/2019, already replaced by Article 92 of the Asylum Code, established that Türkiye is to be considered safe for applicants from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia. As a result, applications lodged by nationals of the above-mentioned countries are now channelled into the admissibility procedure upon arrival, to assess whether Türkiye is a safe third country and whether their cases are admissible and should be examined on the merits. The practice with regard to the examination of the applications of Syrian asylum seekers changed after the fall of the Assad regime on the 8th of December 2024. The Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence, aligning with similar decisions made by other European governments, suspended the issuance of asylum decisions for Syrian nationals. As a result, applicants who had successfully completed an admissibility interview by December 8, but had not yet received a decision, were required to undergo an interview on the merits. Applicants who had not yet undergone an admissibility interview participated in a merged interview, covering both admissibility and merits. 901 In all cases, no decisions were issued. The suspension regarding the issuance of decisions on applications of Syrian nationals was officially confirmed a month later, on 10 January 2025, by the (at the time) Minister of Migration and Asylum. As per the Minister’s reply to a parliamentary question:902 The recent takeover of Syria by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) […] has created considerable uncertainty and raised critical questions about the future protection needs and possible return of millions ofdisplaced Syrians, with significant implications for EU+ asylum and reception systems. The volatility and uncertainty of the situation does not allow for a safe assessment in the medium and long term. In this context, our country has temporarily suspended the issuance of decisions on asylum applications from Syrian nationals in order to review and reassess the situation in Syria, a measure taken by the vast majority of EU Member States. Following the fall of the Assad regime, the possible grounds for persecution and the risks faced by applicants in Syria should be assessed in the light of up-to-date information on the country of origin. 899 900 901 902 i.e., National service map, available at: https://bit.ly/3QdLFQz; City of Athens, Targeted support and assistance to asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection with disabilities, available at: https://bit.ly/3ICrSpX, and Caritas ADAMA center, available at:: https://bit.ly/3BT7YDn; GCR Helpline, information available at: https://bit.ly/3WvGyNo; EPAPSY Psychosocial Support (PSS) Helpline, KEM Athens heldesk , Refugee.Info website - Facebook HelpLine, Lighthouse Relief Helpline & Information point,. HRC Information Hotline, IOM HELIOS Helpline, MSF Day Care Center, Athens Solidarity Center by SolidarityNow Whether under the ‘safe country of origin’ concept or otherwise. Indicative Press Releases: Naftemporiki, Το ΚΥΣΕA αποφασίζει για τους Σύρους πρόσφυγες – Στην ατζέντα το «πάγωμα» αιτημάτων ασύλου, 13 December 2024, Naftemporiki, available at: https://tinyurl.com/37zyhf7k. Minister’s of Migration and Asylum no. 6556/10-01-2025 response to the Greek parliament, available [in Greek] here. 174