Author
Conditions in Regional Centres are monitored, inter alia, by the Ombudsman, who visits the centres on a regular basis. In 2022 the Ombudsman conducted monitoring visits in Bucuresti, Galati, Rădăuţi, Şomcuta Mare and Giurgiu.[1]
According to the data provided by the Ombudsman, its representatives did not carry out monitoring visits to the IGI-DAI centres in 2023, but a visit was made to the Border Police Territorial Unit Calarasi on 6 January 2023 and certain problems were noted with regard to the screening/triage room (at the time of the visit, no person was kept in custody in this place). It is a room where migrants are taken after they are caught for trying to cross the border illegally. The following problems were identified concerning this room: there was no window allowing natural lighting, no heating source in the room and in the sanitary group, the nearest heating source was a radiator in the surveillance room used by the border police located next to that room. The Ombudsperson made recommendations for the rehabilitation of the triage room, the appropriate provision of furniture and sanitary facilities, the conclusion of a protocol of cooperation with a medical unit in order to comply with the procedure for the organisation and operation of the triage room in terms of medical assistance that need to be provided to persons kept in such a place.[2]
In 2024 the Ombudsman conducted monitoring visits in Rădăuţi, Şomcuta Mare and Giurgiu. According to the Ombudsman’s National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), its teams paid four unannounced monitoring visits to IGI‑DAI reception centres in 2024 – Giurgiu (30 January), Șomcuta Mare (30 May), Timișoara (3 July) and Rădăuți (19 July) – in order to check whether living conditions complied with OPCAT (Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) safeguards. In Giurgiu, inspectors welcomed cleaner dormitories and new bedding but again found heavy cockroach infestation, stressing that repeated disinfection campaigns had failed. They also deplored the lack of ramps, lifts and adapted bathrooms, urging the centre to create at least one fully accessible room and sanitary block for people with reduced mobility.[3]
At Șomcuta Mare,2024 the Ombudsman praised a refurbished kitchen but noted that crockery was still stored directly on the floor and ordered the installation of closed cupboards to improve hygiene. All shower cabins in that centre lacked privacy screens, and the NPM asked for curtains as well as at least one fully adapted room and bathroom for persons with disabilities.[4]
During the July 2024 mission to Timișoara, monitors again found cockroaches in several dormitories and a kitchen despite eight pests‑control sessions, calling for stronger chemicals and closer hygiene oversight.
They also recorded dirty walls and refrigerators in some rooms, concluding that daily cleaning routines were inconsistent and needed tighter supervision.[5]
During the visit in Rădăuți in 2024, the conditions had improved after renovations were conducted in 2023: bathrooms afforded privacy and the communal kitchen was newly equipped, yet the Ombudsman urged IGI to fill the remaining staff vacancies to ensure smooth running of services.[6]
Overall, the 2024 inspections show incremental progress – fresher facilities, some renovations and more staff – but persistent pest problems, sporadic hygiene lapses and limited accessibility continue to hold reception conditions below the safeguards the NPM expects for asylum‑seekers.[7]
State of the facilities
UNHCR mentioned that in 2023, they provided support to the IGI-DAI Reception and Accommodation Centres for Asylum Seekers, including through the donation of non-food items to the Reception Centres that requested it (e.g. water, hygiene kits, towels, blankets, clothing) as well as financing integration counsellors, employed with UNHCR’s partner CNRR, at the reception centres. Additionally, through UNHCR’s implementing partners AIDRom and CNRR, UNHCR supported the IGI-DAI by covering a gap in services which are usually covered through AMIF funding, relating to material assistance (welcome/installation packages for asylum-seekers arriving at IGI-DAI Reception Centres), legal assistance, information provision on social assistance and their rights in Romania, social counselling, organising socio-cultural, educational and recreational activities, such as Romanian language courses, for the asylum-seekers and refugees from the IGI-DAI’s Reception Centres.[8]
Regarding the reception conditions, the Romanian Ombudsman has made a series of monitoring visits to the IGI procedures and accommodation centres for asylum seekers, the most recent ones are from 2022, in Giurgiu,[9] Galati,[10] Maramureș[11] and Rădăuţi;[12] all reports were further accompanied by answers provided by the General Inspectorate for Immigration on measures conducted following the recommendations of the Ombudsman.[13] Among the main issues identified in the reports are the following: insufficient centre staff (especially in the medical assistance department), lack of constant professional training for centre staff, inadequate hygienic-sanitary conditions, accommodation spaces that require improvements/rehabilitation. No major improvements were reported since then.
In 2024, the Ombudsman resumed unannounced monitoring visits – Giurgiu (30 January), Șomcuta Mare (30 May), Timișoara (3 July) and Rădăuți (19 July) – finding some visible progress, notably the renovations of kitchens, sanitary blocks and equipment at Șomcuta Mare conducted in 2023. However, the visit confirmed that chronic weaknesses persist: cockroach infestations and long times (up to 24‑hour) for asylum seekers to receive their first meal after their arrival at the centre in Giurgiu; problems with pest‑ridden, unclean kitchens in Timișoara; continuing vacancies in medical and technical posts at Timișoara and Rădăuți that hamper service delivery. Based on these observations, most of the Ombudsman’s 2022 recommendations remain outstanding.[14]
On reception conditions, UNHCR reported[15] that when asked about accommodation, 93% of respondents reported that they currently reside within a Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers, with only six per cent of the respondents reporting living in private accommodation. 0.3% respondents reported living in other forms of accommodation. This reflects the asylum procedural stage in which the respondents were at the time of the interview. Regarding the safety of the accommodation, 71% of the respondents reported feeling very safe; 21% of moderately safe, and six per cent feeling neither safe nor unsafe. Only a small percentage of respondents, one per cent each, reported feeling moderately unsafe or very unsafe.
The Regional Centre Timișoara
The Regional Centre was located in the same premises as the Emergency Transit Centre (ETC) operated by UNHCR, where refugees evacuated from other countries stay before they are resettled to another country, until 1 December 2020.[16] ETC moved to another facility as of 1st December 2020.The facility is located 20 minutes by bus from the city centre. The facility was repainted and the doors and windows were repaired in December 2017.
The entire facility is split into four buildings, of which two are designed for accommodation. Each of these two buildings contains 12 rooms with 12 beds per room. One building (“Building B”) is separated into two parts through a built-in wall: six rooms are dedicated to asylum seekers and another six to ETC refugees. Until December 2020 ETC had a total capacity of 200 places, the Regional Centre has a capacity of 50 places. Each building where persons are accommodated has a kitchen. However, “Building B” dedicated to families only has 2 refrigerators. “Building B” has two bathrooms, each equipped with two squat toilets, two urinals, three sinks and three showers.
In the second half of 2021 renovation work commenced in the regional centre of Timișoara. The works consist of interior painting, replacement of tiles in hallways, kitchens, bathrooms, replacement of laminate flooring in accommodation rooms with tiles, replacement of all facilities in bathrooms and kitchens, replacement of radiators and modernisation of the central heating system.[17] The renovation work commenced with building C and was finalised in January 2022. Renovation of building B started in March 2022 and at the time of the author’s visit only minor details were still to be finalised. Metal bars were installed on all windows. The construction work for the additional accommodation places and offices was suspended. In 2022 the highest number of asylum seekers was 250 during July and August and they were accommodated in the centre for two to three days until they were transferred. Two shipping containers were installed in the courtyard, where IGI-DAI registered beneficiaries of temporary protection.
According to IGI-DAI,[18] in 2023, the situation was as follows: the centre consists of 6 buildings, with in total 24 rooms (20 rooms with 10 beds each, 2 rooms with 12 beds each, 2 rooms with 13 beds each). On each floor there is a common bathroom and a common kitchen with a stove and a refrigerator. In 2022, all accommodation spaces were improved through a project to modernise them; no other rehabilitation works were carried out in 2023. Single women are accommodated separately from men. Unaccompanied minors under the age of 16 are taken in by the DGASPC and those over 16 can be accommodated in the centre in separate rooms. There is a mobile ramp that ensures the access/movement of people with disabilities. Families are provided with a room to themselves.
According to IGI-DAI, in 2024 the capacity of CRPCSA Timișoara has 250 places, with 15 in closed spaces and an additional 10 places available for expansion.[19]
The Regional Centre Şomcuta Mare
The Regional Centre is located close to the city centre and 25 km away from Baia Mare. The centre consists of a three-storey building. Rooms are located on the second and third floor, each floor containing 22 rooms with 2, 4, 6, 8 persons sleeping in a room. There are two bathrooms on each floor, separated by gender. On the hallway of the first floor, there are 6 refrigerators, while the ground floor has two isolation rooms for medical purposes. The basement has a kitchen with ten stoves, a dining room and a laundry room with four washing machines but only two are functional. The basement also contains a specially designed closed space (see Place of Detention).[20] The centre has a capacity of 100 places. In August 2021 it was extended to 200 places and as of March 2022 the capacity was increased with 50 more places, by transforming the gym room into an accommodation room.[21]
In 2021 small renovations were carried out, taps were changed and rooms and hallways were painted.
According to IGI-DAI[22], in 2023 the situation in this centre was the following: the centre consists of a single building, with 44 rooms that can accommodate a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 8 people. On each floor there are 2 shared bathrooms, a shared kitchen with stove and fridge. In order to improve the accommodation conditions, rehabilitation works have been carried out in 4 bathrooms, as well as sanitation works in all accommodation spaces, hallways, kitchen, laundry. Unaccompanied minors up to the age of 16 are taken care of by the DGASPC, and those older than 16 can be accommodates in separated room in the centre. Individual accommodation spaces are allocated to families.
According to IGI-DAI, in 2024 the capacity of CRPCSA Maramureș provides 100 places, including 15 in closed spaces, with the highest expansion potential of 100 additional places.[23]
The Regional Centre Rădăuţi
The Regional Centre is located not far from the city centre. There are rooms with eight and ten beds. There are two bathrooms, one for women and one for men, each with three toilets and showers. There is a common kitchen, which lacked refrigerators and dishes at the time of the Ombudsman’s visit in 2017.[24] The gym and prayer room were converted into accommodation in 2020 in order to increase reception capacity.[25] Each room has a refrigerator, which serves 10 persons. Construction of new accommodation places started in October/November 2021. The construction work was also suspended, as the constructor is the same in both centres Rădăuţi and Timișoara. There is still limited space for counselling for NGOs.
In 2023, the situation in the centre was as follows:[26] the centre consists of 2 buildings (building A and building B), with in total 5 rooms for 12 persons, 5 rooms for 10 persons, 1 room for 8 persons, 2 rooms for 6 persons. Building A has rooms with shared bathrooms and Building B has rooms with private bathrooms. On each floor there is a shared kitchen (1 gas stove and 1 fridge in each kitchen). Unaccompanied minors over the age of 16 years old can be accommodated in the centre in separate rooms (minors under 16 years old are taken care of by the DGASPC). The positions of psychologist and doctor are vacant. Women and men are accommodated in separate rooms. There are ramps to facilitate access in the building for people with disabilities. Families are provided with individual spaces.
According to IGI-DAI, in 2024 the capacity of Reception centre in Rădăuți has 130 places, with 10 in closed spaces and a 20-place expansion possibility.[27]
The Regional Centre Galaţi
The Regional Centre is located in the city, with easy access to public transport. The centre has three buildings: two for administrative purposes and one two-storey building for accommodation. On each floor of the accommodation building, there is one bathroom for men and one for women: each comprising of three showers and seven sinks. There is only one normal toilet for women per floor; the rest are ‘squat toilets’.
The rooms have a maximum capacity of four and 12 beds. Generally, if there are available places asylum seekers are accommodated depending on nationality. Families are accommodated in the same room, separately from single men. There are two kitchens on each floor with three stoves and three sinks each, as well as one refrigerator in each room. In 2022, the clubs and the gym were functional and transformed into accommodation rooms only when necessary. Specially designed closed spaces were used as accommodation rooms only in January for the Afghan refugees. The prayer room still exists. The highest number of asylum seekers accommodated in the regional centre in 2022 was 157. In February-March 2022 four shipping containers were installed for the registration of beneficiaries of temporary protection.[28]
In 2023, according to data provided by IGI-DAI[29] the situation was the following: the centre consists of 3 buildings (only one housing asylum seekers), with a total of 34 rooms (rooms with 6 places, 8 places, 10 places or 12 places), 1 shared bathroom on each floor, 2 kitchens per floor (3 stoves and refrigerators in each kitchen). Sanitation works were carried out in 2022, replacement of radiators, roof repairs, provision of material goods (e.g. stoves, fridges, beds, mattresses, washing machines, dryers, pots, pans, cutlery, towels, blankets) funded from the AMIF program. Unaccompanied minors up to the age of 16 are taken in by the DGASPC, and those over 16 can be accommodated in the centre in separate rooms. There is a psychologist employed by IGI-DAI in the centre, and a doctor has a collaboration contract with IGI-DAI. There are access ramps for people with disabilities. Women are accommodated in separate rooms; families are accommodated in individual rooms.
According to IGI-DAI, in 2024 the CRPCSA Galați has a current capacity of 200 places, including 30 places in closed spaces, with a possible expansion of 10 additional places.[30]
The Regional Centre Bucharest
The Regional Centre is located 20 minutes by bus from the city centre. The building accommodating asylum seekers has four floors. It contains a total of 80 rooms, each with four beds, a toilet and a shower. On each floor there are two kitchens, each with two refrigerators, two stoves and two sinks. When assigning asylum seekers to different rooms, IGI-DAI takes into consideration their religion, nationality and gender. Families are accommodated together.
The renovation of the Vasile Stolnicu centre started in July 2021 and was finalised in March 2023.[31] All the asylum seekers were moved to the Tudor Gociu centre.
The building of Tudor Gociu has four floors. Asylum seekers are accommodated on the third and fourth floors. There are 24 rooms for accommodation, one kitchen on each floor, four bathrooms and two washing rooms. All windows have metal bars. The director of the Vasile Stolnicu centre describe the rooms as a little bit too crowded. Bathrooms and toilets are separated according to gender. The JRS representative reported that privacy is lacking in the bathroom as the doors cannot be locked. There are no leisure/common rooms. There is no courtyard, so children and adults spend their time on the hallways or in their rooms.
According to data provided by IGI-DAI,[32] for the year 2023 the situation was the following:
The Bucharest Centre consists of a building located at street Tudor Gogiu 24A (a closed centre, 96 places distributed in 24 rooms, each room can accommodate 4 people) and a building located at street Vasile Stolnicu 15 (an open centre, 320 places distributed in 80 rooms, each room can accommodate 4 people). The closed centre has 2 bathrooms per floor, and in the open centre each room has its own bathroom. In both centres there is a kitchen on each floor with 2 gas stoves and 2 refrigerators.
At the open regime centre located in Vasile Stolnicu Street, thermal rehabilitation and interior sanitation works were carried out, in the period March 2021-September 2023. In September 2023, the centre was opened at full capacity.
According to IGI-DAI, in 2024 the closed centre had a capacity of 96 places, with a possible expansion of 52 additional places.[33]
In the open regime centre unaccompanied minors over 16 years old can be accommodated, they are accommodated separately from adults, taking into account the best interests of the child (unaccompanied minors under 16 years old are taken over by the DGASPC). In this centre there are 1 doctor and 2 nurses, and the position of psychologist is vacant. This centre is divided into 2 sections (one section for single men, one section for women and families with children). Both centres have mobile access ramps in the building for people with disabilities.
The Regional Centre Giurgiu
The Regional Centre is a former barracks located in the outskirts of the city and repurposed in 2011, without any refurbishment beyond repaint. As a result, technical problems often occur. The capacity of the centre is 100 places arranged in eight rooms. At the time of the author’s visit in January 2023, there were 8 accommodation rooms with different capacities from 4,8, 15, 16, 17, 24 to 26 beds. The capacity of the centre could be increased by 70 places[34]. Each room is equipped with refrigerators; the number of refrigerators depends on the number of beds. There are two kitchens with four stoves and three sinks. Only one kitchen was used by the asylum seekers, the other one was locked. There are two bathrooms, one for men and one for women, with five ‘squat toilets’ and five showers. The women’s bathroom was also locked. The gym is used as a deposit room for old refrigerators and washing machines and single use bed sheets. There is also a club where Romanian language classes were held by AIDRom with seven desks and chairs and a small collection of books in Romanian. The isolation room was not occupied in March 2025.[35] The isolation room had its own bathroom and half of the room was serving as a deposit of beds. A prayer space was set up next to the kitchen. The centre has a small courtyard, but it is not accessible as it is surrounded by a fence. In the backyard old furniture, beds, sinks are deposited.
According to data provided by IGI-DAI[36], for the year 2023 the situation was the following: the centre consists of one building. There is a shared bathroom and a shared kitchen on each floor. No improvements have been made to the premises (e.g. painting, replacement of furniture, etc.), however the centre is about to be renovated this year.[37] Minors over 16 years of age can be accommodated in separate rooms (minors under 16 years old are taken by DGASPC). There is a psychologist and a medical assistant, and the position of doctor is vacant. The centre is mainly for single men, and if single women or families are accommodated in the centre they will be accommodated separately until they will be transferred to another centre.[38] The centre has a mobile elevator for people with disabilities.
Food and hygiene
The Asylum law prescribes the necessary daily amount of nutritional value based on which the daily allowance for food is calculated depending on the individual situation.[39] Asylum seekers may cook for themselves, using the kitchens available in every centre.
In all regional centres, asylum seekers are obliged to clean their rooms, kitchen and bathrooms on a rotation basis. The number of toilets and showers are sufficient in all facilities during regular occupancy.
In March 2024, UNHCR published its Regional Protection Monitoring Report Romania based on 1,955 interviews conducted with asylum-seekers and, to a lesser extent, with refugees and, to a lesser extent, with other individuals who reached Romania as part of mixed flows. 93% of respondents reported to be living in a reception centre for asylum seekers. On reception conditions, UNHCR reported[40] that concerning the access to meals, four per cent of the respondents reported receiving one meal a day, 39% of the respondents reported having access to two meals, and 57% of the respondents reported benefiting from three meals daily. These findings raise protection concerns which relate to situations where asylum-seekers’ freedom of movement is restricted upon their first arrival to the reception centre and until they may be transferred to another centre. For one reception centre, for example, it has been reported that, during the time when the protection monitoring was conducted, authorities relied on donations by NGOs to ensure the provision of food to residents in the Reception Centre. If these supplies are not available or do not arrive timely, food is not available.
Galaţi: The Ombudsman described the hygienic conditions in the majority of rooms as appropriate. However, there were also rooms with inadequate hygienic conditions: walls were dirty and scratched.[41]
Bathrooms were clean, but there were also bathrooms with worn down sanitary installations. The kitchens were also described as clean and appropriate; the stoves were new. The Ombudsman observed that out of 28 rooms only two were equipped with air conditioning and recommended its installation in all rooms. The director of the centre reported that the living conditions had improved in 2022, as they painted the entire building, the linoleum was replaced, mattresses and furniture were changed. The water pipes in bathrooms were repaired. The centre is still confronting bed bugs infestation, even though disinfection is carried out twice a month. The Ombudsman did not conduct any visit to the Galati reception centre in 2024.
Şomcuta Mare: The Ombudsman reported inadequate hygienic conditions in kitchens: mould and food scraps were observed next to the pipes, there was no furniture where asylum seekers could eat. In 2021, the JRS representative reported that the roof of the building was damaged, and it was raining inside and because of the damp, the wall and ceiling plaster was falling. They repaired the ceiling but there is still water coming in because they did not repair the roof. At the time of the Ombudsman’s visit at the end of March 2022 this was still an issue, mould and infiltration were observed. Bathrooms were in a precarious state of hygiene: walls with damp, damaged sanitary items, no head showers, rusty toilets.[42] The director reported that sink faucets, light switches and electrical outlets were changed during the year, and the roof had been repaired. The rooms affected by damp were not used. In 2023 the centre will be refurbished according to the director. In 2024 the Ombudsman, during an unannounced visit to the Șomcuta Mare reception centre, praised the newly refurbished kitchen with its ten spotless cooking stations but found utensils piled on the floor, showers without privacy curtains and damp patches in the mother‑and‑child room. The Ombudsman urged the centre to install closed cupboards, fit curtains and finish repairs, despite overall cleaner facilities after 2023 renovations, full hygiene standards were not yet met[43].
In Bucharest: according to the Ombudsman the hygienic conditions in Tudor Gociu centre have deteriorated. The furniture, mattresses, linoleum were worn down. On the 4th floor dampness and mould was observed by the visiting team. The bathrooms were in a poor state of cleanliness and hygiene: mouldy walls, damp, doors were dirty, broken tiles, rusty toilets, showers without a hose or shower head and the lighting was not working. The kitchens were also dirty. [44] In 2024 no visit was conducted by the Ombudsman in the Bucharest reception centre.
In Giurgiu, the author observed during their visit, and it was also confirmed by interviewed NGO representatives, that the hygiene conditions had improved. Hallways were freshly painted, rooms were clean and painted, only in one room were there doodles on the walls. The conditions had also improved from the Ombudsman’s visit on 15 April 2022, when it was noted that hallways were dirty and not painted as well as the accommodation rooms, refrigerators were dirty and smelly and bugs were also spotted. With regards to the bathrooms the situation was the same as reported by the Ombudsman, water on the floor, damp, the walls separating the showers were rusty, there was a leaking pipe and it smelt. The toilets had old tiles and the smell was unbearable. The director of the centre stated that the centre will be renovated, without knowing when works would start. In 2024 the Ombudsman’s team found the Giurgiu reception centre largely clean and freshly refurnished—dormitories, bathrooms and even the fridges in each room were “sanitised and tidy” —yet a stubborn cockroach infestation still lingered despite repeated pest‑control rounds. The inspectors also learned that eight newly‑arrived residents had gone almost 24 hours without food, so they urged management to keep a petty‑cash reserve for cold meals to ensure no newcomer is left hungry again[45].
In Rădăuţi, the Ombudsman reported that the bathrooms, even though they were renovated in 2021, were worn down and the hygienic conditions were inadequate. The kitchens were also dirty, the tiles were broken and dirty bugs were spotted on the dirty floor. The same situation was observed in the building intended for the accommodation of vulnerable asylum seekers: the floors and walls were dirty.[46] It was also reported by the NGO representative that hot water and heating was not available 24h/7 in the accommodation rooms or the NGO offices. Asylum seekers complained that during cold days the heating was not on all day. Also, bed bugs remain an issue. The director of the centre reported that during 2022 rooms, kitchen, bathrooms and hallways had been refurbished. In 2024 the Ombudsman’s team found the Rădăuți reception centre’s main kitchen freshly refurbished—new stoves, sinks and spotless tiling—but pointed out that residents had moved all fridges and table‑ware into bedrooms, leaving no proper food‑storage sector; the monitors therefore told management to keep fridges and utensils in the kitchen and continue periodic deep‑cleaning. By contrast, the newly renovated pavilion reserved for vulnerable persons looked unkempt—walls, floors and several rooms were dirty—and the Ombudsman urged the centre to step up cleaning, repair worn fittings and involve residents in routine hygiene tasks[47].
In Timișoara, NGO representatives reported that residents did not complain about bed bugs, fleas, bugs, the poor condition of mattresses and plumbing in the showers and toilets. After the renovation the centre is clean; asylum seekers clean their rooms. At the time of the author’s visit there were only three asylum seekers accommodated in the centre in building C, of whom one asylum seeker had been living in the centre for a longer period of time. The rooms, kitchen and bathrooms were tidily kept. Asylum seekers who were to be transferred were accommodated in the same two rooms. The mattresses in these rooms were not so well kept. All the kitchen equipment and refrigerators were replaced. The bathrooms were also clean. In 2024 the Ombudsman’s team found hygiene at the Timișoara reception centre uneven: one of the communal kitchens in Corp C was dirty, with greasy walls, a clogged sink and utensils left unwashed, while cockroaches were seen there and in several dormitories despite eight pest‑control rounds. Some rooms were tidy, but others had grimy walls and fridges, the bathrooms needed repairs and cleaning, and no adapted toilet existed for residents with reduced mobility, prompting calls for deeper cleaning, stronger de‑insectisation and an accessible sanitary block. Although residents confirmed they receive the statutory cash allowance for food, several complained that insects persist in living and cooking areas, underscoring the Ombudsman’s recommendation to restore full hygiene standards before the next inspection.[48]
Activities in the centres
In 2024, the Ombudsman visited the Regional Centres for Procedures and Accommodation of Asylum Seekers in Rădăuți, Șomcuta Mare, Timișoara, and Giurgiu. At Rădăuți, the team noted the presence of a club, a sports room, a prayer space, and a play or counselling room for children, as well as professional training activities supported by EUAA. In Șomcuta Mare, the Ombudsman observed the absence of rooms for recreational or educational activities and no NGO involvement in delivering structured support. At Timișoara, the monitoring team found a club equipped with games, TV, and sports items, but no regular socio-educational activities organised by civil society actors. At Giurgiu, no dedicated activity spaces were identified; the Ombudsman observed that children spent most of their time inside the accommodation rooms, and there were no visible efforts to engage them in age-appropriate activities. Across all centres, the institution recommended the development of structured, inclusive programs—especially for vulnerable persons and minors—to improve living conditions and integration perspectives.[49]
UNHCR mentioned that in 2023, they provided support to the IGI-DAI Reception and Accommodation Centres for Asylum Seekers, including through the donation of non-food items to the Reception Centres that requested it (e.g. water, hygiene kits, towels, blankets, clothing) as well as financing integration counsellors, employed with UNHCR’s partner CNRR, at the reception centres. Additionally, through UNHCR’s implementing partners AIDRom and CNRR, UNHCR supported the IGI-DAI by covering a gap in services which are usually covered through AMIF funding, relating to material assistance (welcome/installation packages for asylum-seekers arriving at IGI-DAI Reception Centres), legal assistance, information provision on social assistance and their rights in Romania, social counselling, organising socio-cultural, educational and recreational activities, such as Romanian language courses, for the asylum-seekers and refugees from the IGI-DAI’s Reception Centres.[50]
Asylum seekers are allowed to go outside whenever they want, until 22:00. All Regional Centres except Timișoara have a prayer room where residents can practice their religion.[51]
In 2020 AIDRom stated that the Romanian language classes were held in person, respecting the protection measures and social distancing. They continued in this format due to the limited possibilities of asylum seekers to have access to a mobile phone for online courses. Where beneficiaries had access to an electronic device, the courses were held online.[52]
Social and community workers in the centres organise different activities for both adults and children
Save the Children Romania offers as part of a project funded from the organisation’s own resources program, educational social services and material assistance addressing the specific needs of asylum-seeking children and refugees, including unaccompanied minors. The activities are running in 5 Regional Centres, with the exception of Giurgiu.
The project foresees the following activities:
- Daily educational-recreational program for children in accommodation centres. In Timișoara these are not organised as there are no children
- Facilitating access to education and cultural accommodation
- Services to ensure their basic needs
- Facilitating access to social and medical services, when necessary
- Social counselling for children and adults
- Material assistance.
During the years, when there is funding, material assistance consists of hygienic products, food, clothes, shoes. All asylum seekers received food, irrespective of their age or vulnerability, according to the Save the Children representative. Donations were also made by private persons and companies.
In 2023, AIDRom implemented several activities in the centres:[53] between June and December 2023, AIDRom, implemented the project “Information, counselling and complex assistance for asylum seekers from the regional centres of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, Output 3”, financed by UNHCR. The aim of the project was to ensure the promotion of a manifold assistance system from a social point of view with the provision of specialised services to increase the standard of living of asylum seekers in Romania, by approaching the issue with a new strategy of relationship between the host community and asylum seekers. The project took place in all 6 regional centres (Bucharest, Giurgiu, Galati, Rădăuţi, Maramureș- Şomcuta Mare, Timisoara). The activities carried out within the project were:
- Information and social counselling. The social counselling consisted in directly informing the beneficiaries about the existence of the project, the facilities and services offered, access to basic social services and any other individual or group social needs of the beneficiaries, identified by the social worker. In total, 670 asylum seekers benefited from this activity.
- Assistance for cultural-educational integration: educational, recreational, orientation and accommodation activities in Romanian society, such as visits to museums, the theatre, the Zoological/Botanical Garden, outings in parks, etc. In total, 648 asylum seekers benefited from these activities.
- Romanian language courses for both minors and adults, in the centres. In total, there were 572 entries for the Romanian language courses.
- Material aid. In total, 345 asylum seekers benefited from installation packages. The installation packages consisted in: household items, housekeeping (detergent, bed linen, etc.), clothes, personal hygiene items (shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, etc.), food. Moreover, 790 asylum seekers benefited from transfer packages. The transfer packages consisted of the provision of food, water, napkins, etc. for asylum seekers who were transferred between regional accommodation centres or transferred from the place of submission of the asylum application to the regional accommodation centres.
- Material assistance for the translation of civil status documents and/or diplomas as well as the legalization/authentication of these documents. In total, 30 asylum seekers benefited from translation services.
[1] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[2] Information provided by the Ombudsman, 9 January 2024.
[3] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2024, available in Romanian here.
[4] ibid.
[5] ibid.
[6] ibid.
[7] ibid.
[8] Information provided by UNHCR, 23 January 2024.
[9] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[10] ibid.
[11] ibid.
[12] ibid.
[13] ibid.
[14] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2024, available in Romanian here.
[15] UNHCR, Regional Protection Monitoring Report Romania, 28 March 2024, available here.
[16] UNHCR, ETC Timișoara, 14 December 2016, available here; Operations in Romania, 16 December 2016, available here.
[17] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 10 March 2022.
[18] ibid. 18 January 2024.
[19] ibid. 23 January 2025.
[20] Ombudsman, Report of the visit to the Regional Centre for Procedures and Reception for Asylum Seekers Şomcuta Mare, 36/2017, available in Romanian here.
[21] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[22] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[23] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 23 January 2025.
[24] Ombudsman, Report of the visit to the Regional Centre for Procedures and Reception for Asylum Seekers Şomcuta Mare, 36/2017, available in Romanian here.
[25] ibid.
[26] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[27] ibid. 23 January 2025.
[28] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[29] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[30] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 23 January 2025.
[31] Ministry of Internal Affairs, Directorate of non-reimbursable external funds, ‘Îmbunătățirea condițiilor de cazare și asistență a solicitanților de azil – proiect RO#FAMI’, last edited 15 March 2024, available in Romanian here.
[32] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[33] ibid. 23 January 2025.
[34] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 23 January 2025.
[35] Visit to the Giurgiu Regional Centre for Asylum Seekers during ECRE fact-finding visit, 18 March 2025.
[36] Information provided by IGI-DAI, 18 January 2024.
[37] Visit to the Giurgiu Regional Centre for Asylum Seekers during ECRE fact-finding visit, 18 March 2025.
[38] ibid.
[39] Article 55(1) Asylum Decree.
[40] UNHCR, Regional Protection Monitoring Report Romania, 28 March 2024, available here.
[41] Ombudsman, Report of the visit to the Regional Centre for Procedures and Reception for Asylum Seekers Galati, 7 July 2022, available in Romanian here.
[42] Ombudsman, Report of the visit to the Regional Centre for Procedures and Reception for Asylum Seekers Şomcuta Mare, 29 March 2022, available in Romanian here.
[43] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[44] ibid.
[45] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2024, available in Romanian here.
[46] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2022, available in Romanian here.
[47] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2024, available in Romanian here.
[48] ibid.
[49] Ombudsman, Visiting reports 2024, available in Romanian here.
[50] Information provided by UNHCR, 23 January 2024
[51] Although the Ombudsman states that there is a confession room in Timișoara where Romanian classes are held, this is a hallway leading to the NGO offices rather than an actual room.
[52] Information provided by AIDRom, 4 March 2021.
[53] ibid. 15 January 2024.