The "Other" Greek crisis: asylum and EU solidarity

This article assesses the European Union’s efforts to implement refugee protection andhow solidarity and responsibility-sharing apply between Member States. The analysisfocuses on the case of Greece, which faces extreme migratory pressures and is still in theprocess of building an effective asylum system. The research locates the types ofresponsibilities owed to refugees under European Union law for selected areas suchas humanitarian support upon arrival, assessment of protection needs, and provisionof material reception conditions to those who request protection. It also examines theeffect of the European Union’s responsibility allocation regime in placing those responsibilitiesdisproportionately on Greece. As a response to this crisis, European Union’sinstitutions and agencies as well as individual Member States have undertaken aseries of measures to support Greece. This research will outline European Union’ssolidarity measures undertaken in Greece and their basis in European Union law. Itwill assess the impact of these mechanisms on Greece’s capacity to fulfil its humanitarianobligations and highlight gaps and challenges that remain