Author
According to Article 47 (1) of L. 4939/2022, the competent authorities shall inform the applicant, within 15 days after the lodging of the application for international protection, of his or her rights and the obligations with which he or she must comply relating to reception conditions, by providing an informative leaflet in a language that the applicant understands. This material must provide information on the existing reception conditions, including health care, as well as on the organisations that provide assistance to asylum seekers.[1] If the applicant does not understand any of the languages in which the information material is published or if the applicant is illiterate, the information must be provided orally, with the assistance of an interpreter.[2]
A number of actors are providing information to newly arrived persons on the islands and the mainland. However, as also mentioned in Provision of Information on the Procedure, access to comprehensive information remains a matter of concern, especially in the context of asylum, due to the expanded set of obligations and penalties that can be imposed on applicants based on L. 4939/2022.
In any event, information on reception should take into account the actual available reception capacity, the availability and accessibility of referral pathways to reception facilities and other services and the legal obligations imposed on the applicants, i.e. restrictions on movement imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the obligation to remain on a given island for those subject to EU-Türkiye statement.
[1] Article 47 (2) Asylum Code.
[2] Article 47 (3) Asylum Code.