have increased by 169% compared to 2022.168 By the end of the year, the steep increase of arrivals starting in late summer 2023 resulted in severe overcrowding of the CCACs.169 In Lesvos, apart from the CCAC of Mavrovouni, the Controlled Temporary Accommodation Facility for asylum seekers of West Lesvos, which is located in the area of Megala Therma in West Lesvos (Kastelia), also operates as an autonomous structure since December 2020. It is noteworthy that the Administrator has been the only administrative staff in the facility. Until November 2022, the structure operated as a quarantine structure and since then as an informal first reception "waiting area" for people arriving on the northern side of the island. The nominal capacity of the structure is 352 persons however the actual capacity is 160 persons. At the end of March 2023, the structure had reached its capacity.170 Newly arrived asylum seekers remained there for days, in some cases for more than two weeks, waiting in dire conditions to be transferred to the CCAC of Mavrovouni, without any official registration, without access to interpretation, legal or psychosocial assistance, without information on procedures and without the possibility to contact anyone outside the quarantine area, which could lead to arbitrary practices, such as pushback operations. Medical screening and NFIs were provided twice per week by MsF.171 Since late May 2023, all newcomers, regardless of their entry point, were transferred upon arrival directly to CCAC of Mavrovouni. Local communities, as well as local authorities have expressed their opposition against the creation of the new CCACI because they do not consider them necessary and because they have strong concerns both related to the degradation of the islands and the rights of newcomers. In Lesvos and Chios, several protests took place and citizens attempted to disrupt the construction of the centres.172 In Leros and Kos, criticism against the construction of the new facilities was expressed not only by local communities but also by the local authorities. The Mayors of both islands refused to attend the inauguration of the new centres. In 2021, the local authorities of both Leros and Samos challenged173 - yet with no success174- the construction of new centres. In 19 August 2022, a Greek Council of State’s decision paved the way for the continued construction of a new EU-funded closed controlled access centre in a 71,250 km2 forest in Vastria, on Lesvos island. However, an application for suspension by the North Aegean Region and by local communities (Komi and N. Kydonia), regarding the access road to the structure of Vastria was accepted by the Commission of Suspensions of the Greek Council of State in temporary decision 199/2022-19/12/2022. This prohibited any construction until the final judgment of the court on the application for its annulment, as it was considered that the construction of the road would lead to irreversible destruction of the forest and impact the rare birdlife of the protected area.175 In August 2023, following an application submitted by the North Aegean Region, the Greek Council of State, in 1335/2023 decision,176 annulled the authorisation approving the CCAC’s construction project in Lesvos, due to lack of an environmental study. In the same judgement, the Council of State annulled the authorisation approving the intervention to the forest area for the construction of the road giving access 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 MoMA, Information note reception and identification procedures, December 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/2cw22ree. Υπουργείο Προστασίας του Πολίτη, Εθνικό Συντονιστικό κέντρο ελέγχου και επιτήρησης συνόρων (Ε.Σ.Κ.Ε.Ε.Σ.), Εικόνα της Κατάστασης Νήσων Ανατολικού Αιγαίου της 31/12/2023, 1 January 2024, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/yc44zc8a. GCR, News from the field, 1 May 2023, available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/3us999zx. Médecins Sans Frontières, Pushbacks, detention and violence towards migrants on Lesbos, 25 May 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/htk996p2. Tvxs, Χίος – Λέσβος: Μαχητικό «όχι» των κατοίκων στις προσφυγικές δομές – φυλακές, 6 January 2022, available in Greek, https://tinyurl.com/27xjwmuw . CNN Greece, Προσφυγικό: Στο ΣτΕ ο δήμος Λέρου κατά της κατασκευής ΚΥΤ στο Λακκί, 4 January 2021, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3DFVT4y and ECRE, Greece: Significant Decrease of Arrivals – Chaos Continues, 15 January 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/37tbYPr. Δημοκρατική , ΣτΕ, Απορρίφθηκε η αίτηση του Δήμου Λέρου για ακύρωση της απόφασης κατασκευής της νέας κλειστής δομής, , 9 June 2023, available at, https://tinyurl.com/4mxvfhv4. Commission of suspensions, Council of State, 19-12-2022, decision 199/2022, available in Greek at: https://bit.ly/3Vdnva1. Summary of Greek Council of State’s the decision n.1335/2023 available in Greek at: https://tinyurl.com/5n88drdz. 51