European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has found “several instances of maladministration” in how the EU Agency for Asylum supports Greek authorities in processing asylum applications.
The findings follow a complaint by two NGOs that provide legal support to asylum seekers on Samos Island, according to a statement from the European Ombudsman issued on Monday.
Problems identified included the agency failing to ensure its caseworkers were sufficiently trained to interview vulnerable asylum seekers, and not giving asylum seekers a procedure to report potentially consequential mistakes made during interviews.
The Ombudswoman said the EU Agency for Asylum must guarantee the protection of fundamental rights in its activities, including when it is acting in a support role.
She stated asylum support teams should conduct interviews in a way that allows traumatised asylum seekers to give testimony to support their asylum claims.
Calls for training and a way to report interview errors
The Ombudsman said the agency should ensure caseworkers in asylum support teams receive regular training on vulnerability and victims of human trafficking.
It also called for procedures to direct victims of trafficking to the appropriate national authorities, and for follow-up by national authorities when vulnerabilities — particularly medical ones — have been identified.
The Ombudswoman also asked for an established system allowing people requesting asylum to report mistakes in an asylum interview, followed by a timely assessment by the EU Agency for Asylum.
Separately, she asked the agency to review its internal reporting system for alleged violations of asylum seekers’ fundamental rights by any member state.
Any apparent breaches should be notified to the European Commission, including reports of pushbacks — the forced return of people across a border without an individual assessment.
The Ombudsman said the review should feed into the ongoing development of the agency’s “escalation mechanism”, and that staff should be informed of their reporting obligations once it is set up.
The inquiry relates to EU work under the “hotspot approach”, launched under the European Agenda for Migration in 2015, which involves EU agencies and Member States working together at the EU’s external borders.
Under operational plans concluded with Greece, EU Agency for Asylum caseworkers are present in facilities on the Eastern Aegean Islands and conduct interviews with asylum seekers, with interview transcripts and opinions used by Greek authorities to decide individual asylum applications.
