‘Continued delays have left asylum seekers without financial assistance for almost 21 months, effectively depriving them of the right to decent living conditions,’ the organisations said in a joint statement. They added that although payments were temporarily resumed during the first months of 2025, they remained inconsistent, and since May 2025 no beneficiary has received any financial assistance.

The organisations stressed that, while the situation has become especially severe over the past 21 months, the payment problems are not new. ‘On the contrary, they have been ongoing since 2021, when the state assumed responsibility for their payment,’ they said, adding that this is ‘an obligation of the Greek state, institutionalised by both EU law and Greek legislation, and not a favour or act of grace’.

‘Regardless of the reasons for the unacceptable delay, the result is a violation of the state’s obligations and the inhuman and degrading treatment of asylum seekers,’ they said, warning that the chronic problems of the past two years had escalated further, intensifying pressure on asylum seekers across the country.

The organisations are calling on the Greek state to:

Immediate payment of financial assistance to asylum seekers
Ensure that asylum seekers receive retroactive payments for the period from May 2024 to January 2026, including in cases where they have since been granted international protection
Ensure that financial assistance is paid immediately after an asylum application is lodged

In their full statement, the organisations said:

‘Asylum seekers in Greece have not received what is provided for by law and European legislation since April 2024. Continued delays have left asylum seekers without financial assistance for almost 21 months, effectively depriving them of the right to decent living conditions. Although the assistance was temporarily restored in the first months of 2025, payments were inconsistent, and since May 2025 no beneficiary has received financial assistance. To date, there has been no information from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum either about the reasons for the non-payment or about when the programme will be restored.

‘The monthly financial assistance is intended to supplement material reception conditions, such as accommodation and food, and to support asylum seekers in meeting their basic needs. It is an obligation of the Greek state, institutionalised by both EU law and Greek legislation, and not a favour or act of grace.

‘The undersigned organisations provide services to asylum seekers living in refugee accommodation facilities across Greece. Several have reported systematic hardship and severe psychological pressure resulting from the almost two-year interruption of financial assistance. We are aware of many individuals and families, including vulnerable people, who are facing serious difficulties because of the suspension of assistance, with a direct impact on their ability to live in dignity. The absence of this minimal support makes it extremely difficult to meet basic needs, restricts access to medical care, and in many cases makes it impossible to purchase essential medicines.

‘Since 2021, financial assistance has already been cut in half, on the grounds that food is provided in reception facilities through catering services. However, the food distributed is often insufficient in both quantity and quality, does not correspond to cultural dietary habits, and in most cases does not meet the needs of people with specific dietary requirements, such as children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people with diabetes. As a result, many asylum seekers depend on financial assistance even to cover their most basic daily nutritional needs.

‘In addition, asylum seekers are expected to pay for personal hygiene items from their own means, as they do not have free access to basic necessities such as soap, shampoo, sanitary products and nappies. These are essential goods, especially for women and children, in order to ensure decent living conditions. Yet while the financial assistance needed to cover these costs has been suspended, no alternative mechanism has been put in place, such as the systematic distribution of basic necessities within accommodation sites.

‘Most facilities, both on the mainland and on the islands, are located in remote areas, far from basic services and civil society organisations that provide social and legal support. The lack of financial assistance worsens these difficulties further, depriving asylum seekers of the means to cover travel costs in order to access such services. On Samos, the Closed Controlled Access Centre is located 7km from the nearest town, and a return bus ticket costs €4. Without financial assistance, people receiving support from the organisation I Have Rights reported walking 14km to reach services in Vathy and return to the camp. I Have Rights has repeatedly documented problems with living conditions in the closed facility, including the lack of adequate cooking facilities and long-standing concerns over the quantity and quality of food there. The non-payment of financial assistance has worsened these already existing problems.

‘In northern Greece, most accommodation facilities are also located in remote areas, and public transport is the only way to reach the nearest urban centres. Even from the Nea Kavala camp in Kilkis, asylum seekers must walk 10km to reach Polykastro and return, in order to access basic services. Other facilities, such as the one in Sintiki, are located around 40km from the city of Serres and 108km from the competent asylum office in Thessaloniki. Without transport and financial assistance, which is necessary even for basic travel, asylum seekers are forced to live in conditions of despair and isolation.

‘The EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund finances the financial assistance programme. This fund is intended to support Greece in meeting its legal obligation to provide material reception conditions to asylum seekers and to ensure decent living conditions.

‘Although the situation has become particularly critical in the past 21 months, the payment problems are not new. On the contrary, they have existed since 2021, when the state assumed responsibility for payment. Over the past five years, the issue has repeatedly been highlighted in public statements by civil society organisations, in October and November 2021, March 2022, September 2024 and March 2025, demonstrating systematic and ongoing failures in the management of payments. Regardless of the reasons for the unacceptable delay, the result is a breach of the state’s obligations and the inhuman and degrading treatment of asylum seekers. Over the past 21 months, these chronic problems have escalated further, increasing pressure on asylum seekers across the country.

‘We call on the Greek state to:

‘Immediate payment of financial assistance to asylum seekers
‘Ensure that asylum seekers receive retroactive payments for the period from May 2024 to January 2026, including in cases where they have since been granted international protection
‘Ensure that financial assistance is paid immediately after an asylum application is lodged

‘We call on the European Commission to:

‘Take measures to ensure the proper management of the funds made available to Greece by the EU for financial assistance, so that Greece fulfils its legal obligations to provide decent living conditions and people seeking international protection receive the support they need to meet their basic needs.’

The statement is signed by:

I Have Rights
Mobile Info Team
Equal Legal Aid
Avocats Sans Frontières France
Human Rights Legal Project
Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid
Border Violence Monitoring Network
Inter-European Human Aid Association
Samos Volunteers
Ref Checkpoint – Positive Voice
Greek Council for Refugees
INTERSOS Hellas
Greek Migrant Forum
Legal Centre Lesvos
Equal Rights Beyond Borders
Centre for Gender Rights and Equality – Diotima
Collective Aid
CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity
Project Harmony
Boat Refugee Foundation
HIAS Greece
Child Rights Network
Inter Alia
Mazí Housing
European Lawyers in Lesvos
Jesuit Refugee Service Greece
International Rescue Committee Hellas

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