Greece's adherence to the CEAS minimum standards on reception and the European Court of Human Rights

Abstract

Greece faced a reception crisis in the aftermath of the mass influx of refugees in 2015, amplified after the Balkan route's closure and the application of the safe third country concept in the asylum procedures. Deficiencies in the Greek reception system led to poor living conditions for asylum seekers, which were exacerbated after the implementation of the hotspot approach in the eastern Aegean islands. While the country was making legislative amendments to transpose and implement the Common European Asylum System rules on reception with a great delay, the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees raised concerns over the adequacy of the afforded material conditions and Greece's adherence to relevant State obligations. This study aims to examine the types and levels of the afforded reception conditions to asylum seekers in practice and compare them to the minimum standards deriving from the recast Reception Conditions Directive. To the latter, research on the relevant EU and international legal framework will precede. After exploring the factual situation on the ground, an analysis of relevant ECtHR case law will follow, to respond to whether the socio-economic type of rights to shelter and healthcare are justiciable and to assess the extent to which litigation against critical living conditions before the Strasbourg Court can be effective.