(iv) Legal information and assistance More than half of respondents reported that they did not have access to legal assistance during their stay in a camp According to legal provisions (Art. 47 of 4939/2022 and Art. 5 of EU/33/2013) the authorities are obligated to provide information on rights and obligations of asylum seekers in the reception system and to supply asylum seekers with contacts to organisations who provide legal and psycho-social assistance. Respondents reported gaps in information and support from the camp administration regarding their asylum case. Administrative services reportedly did not proactively assist camp residents in interpreting decisions written in Greek or explaining appeal processes. In Kavala, one respondent reported that the camp management delayed communicating his rejection decision by three days without any apparent reason, and did not inform the respondent of the deadline for appeal. The practice of camp administration delivering rejection decisions late was raised as a concern by CSOs in both Kavala and Polykastro camps¹⁴⁹. Despite the provisions of the law (Art. 60(2)(b), 4939/2022; Art. 18(2)(b), 2013/33/EU), camp administrations are not generally proactive in facilitating access for lawyers to visit their clients. As reported by a CSO legal aid lawyer, access is only granted through a slow bureaucratic process which requires requesting an appointment in advance and camp authorities frequently take a long time to approve. Such restrictions on access to camps for lawyers further isolates people from support. “We have a lot of problems with legal support, if I need a lawyer I have to pay and it's not feasible. No one [in the camp] has provided one. I am unable to communicate or know the language to ask for one.” Resident in Serres camp Complaints mechanisms in camps The EUAA guidelines on reception conditions specify the need for a standardised complaint and response mechanism which clearly specifies how such complaints can be made, who holds the responsibility of dealing with the complaint and the timeline for a response¹⁵⁰. As laid out in the guidelines, information on the complaint and response mechanism should additionally be in several languages and accessible to applicants. However, no respondents had received information on their right to complain about camp conditions through the fundamental rights mechanism¹⁵¹. In some cases interviewees reported that they were fearful of complaining about conditions in case this could impact their asylum case or the treatment of the camp management and had not previously spoken out on these issues before the interview. 35