Overview of main changes since the previous report update The report was previously updated in June 2024. International Protection ❖ Key asylum statistics: As per data published by the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the Asylum Service received 69,027 first-time asylum applications and 4,687 subsequent asylum applications in 2024. This marks an increase compared to 57,891 first-time and 6,321 subsequent applications in 2023. 26,623 applications were pending at first instance at the end of 2024. The Asylum Service issued a total of 50,117 in-merit decisions in 2024, with 39,271 granting refugee status and 296 subsidiary protection. The MoMA presented a 71.55% recognition rate on the merits at first instance. As in previous years, a significant number of applicants were not provided with access to an in-merits examination and their applications were examined and rejected under the safe third country concept, following the issuance of the Joint Ministerial Decision designating Türkiye as a safe third country for applicants from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Asylum procedure ❖ Number of arrivals: In 2024, a total of 62,119 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece, representing a 14.15% increase compared to 54,416 arrivals in 2023. Of these, 54,417 arrived by sea in 2024, compared to 41,561 in 2023. The majority of those arriving by sea originated from Syria (19,049), Afghanistan (14,212), Egypt (6,647), Eritrea (2,133), and the State of Palestine (2,017), with close to a third of arrivals comprising of children.6 The number of persons reported dead or missing during 2024 was 125. The figures on entries may under-represent the actual number of people attempting to access Greek territory due to continued reports of pushbacks. ❖ Push-back practices: Allegations of pushbacks continued to be reported in 2024. On January 7, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its landmark judgment in A.R.E. v. Greece, condemning Greece for "systematic practice of pushbacks by the Greek authorities of third-country nationals from the Evros region to Türkiye," finding violations of Articles 3, 5, and 13 of the ECHR. In another case, G.R.J. v. Greece, the Court concluded there were strong indications of a systematic pushback practice from the Greek islands to Türkiye, but the applicant failed to provide prima facie evidence of his individual pushback. The National Transparency Authority (NTA) has not made public any further investigations or recommendations on pushbacks in 2024. FRONTEX's Fundamental Rights Officer reiterated recommendations in July 2023 to suspend the agency's operations in Greece due to "strong indications about persisting fundamental rights violations of a serious nature." Human rights organizations and defenders continued to face defamation, intimidation, and criminalisation in 2024. ❖ Access to the asylum procedure: Access to asylum on the mainland remained problematic in 2024. The online platform for booking appointments to lodge asylum applications, operationalised in September 2022, continued to face issues in 2024, including frequent unavailability of appointments. Delays in scheduling registration appointments persisted, notably at Malakasa RIC. Applicants continued to be subject to de facto detention for up to 25 days upon presenting themselves at registration facilities, in breach of the Reception Directive. The discontinuation of interpretation services from mid-2024 significantly impacted the ability of the Asylum Service to carry out procedures, leading to limited access to asylum and increased risk of arbitrary detention. Access for persons detained in pre-removal centers also remained a concern due to delays in registration and lack of legal assistance and interpretation. On 11 July 2025, the Hellenic Parliament adopted a legislative provision introduced by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Article 79 of Law 5218/2025) and came into force on 14 July 2025, which imposes a three-month suspension on the submission of asylum applications by people arriving in Greece illegally by any watercraft from North Africa and provides their return to the country of origin or departure, without registration of their asylum applications. ❖ Subsequent applications: Subsequent applications lodged after the first subsequent application continue to be subject to a fee of EUR 100 per applicant and, in case of families, EUR 100 per family member. Greece is the only EU Member State which requires payment of a fee to lodge a 6 UNHCR, ‘Greece: Sea Arrivals Dashboard’, December 2024, available at: https://tinyurl.com/4utcmzss. 20