Relocation from Greece to Germany: Relief for the Hotspot System or Alibi Policy?
Our report 'Relocation from Greece to Germany: Relief for the Hotspot System or Alibi Policy?' , critically examines the actual implementation of the relocation measures that were propagated by the EU as a 'solidarity-based' solution to the devastating conditions in the hotspot camps in 2020 and 2021.
The report poses the following questions: Did the redistribution process improve the situation of asylum seekers, or did it exclusively aim at a structural "relief" of the EU external border states? Who could (not) take part in the relocation programme? And what did the procedures offer to the people in order to build a future in Germany?
As our research reveals, the actual admission quotas were disproportionately low in comparison to the number of people living in the burnt-down camp 'Moria' and in other camps on the Greek islands at the time. The selection processes remain largely obscure and appear arbitrary. As testimonies from relocated people show, the lengthy procedures proved to be stressful and a source of new uncertainties, rather than future prospects. The situation for people who are forced to stay on the islands has not improved, but worsened since then.
In addition to two testimonies from people who have been relocated to Germany, the report includes an outlook on the current political declarations of intent regarding further relocation measures, such as in the EU Commission's New Migration and Asylum Pact of 2020, and the coalition agreement of the current federal government. It becomes clear that the actual cause of the conditions on the Greek islands, the Dublin III Regulation, is not questioned.
In view of the widespread failure of EU member states to take responsibility, and the numerous problems with previous relocation measures, that we have been able to highlight in our research, we are calling for an end to the EU's inhuman border and hotspot policies.
You can read the full report here:
The report is a result of the research project on EU relocation procedures funded by the Safe Passage Foundation, as a cooperation of borderline-europe - Menschenrechte ohne Grenzen e.V., Borderline Sicilia, Equal Rights Beyond Borders, Sea-Watch and the Refugee Council Berlin.
Here, you can also read our report 'EU ad hoc relocation - A lottery from the sea to the hotspots and back to unsafety' on relocation measures from Italy and Malta in 2019.
