Only 18 out of 40 non-governmental organizations operating in migrants and refugees hosting structures have applied to register in the new registry and were granted the right to continue their work. The NGOs that were certified in the old registry of the Interior Ministry had a deadline to register again in the “Register for Greek and Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations” until June 14.
However, less than half of those currently operating in the accommodation centers have applied.
Submission of the application for registration within the deadline was explicitly stated from the beginning as a condition that those NGOs certified in the old registry would not lose the right to enter the structures.
For the time being, only 18 NGOs will continue their operation within the structures, until the final decision of registration of the Special Secretary for Coordination of Involved Bodies.
It is should be noted that to date, 137 NGOs have reportedly created an account at the new Registry. 80 of them have completed Phase A of registration and 70 are in the control process of Phase B of the registration. Only 18 of them are active within hosting structures.
Meanwhile, Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis said that a total of 2,000 refugees have already left the hosting facilities in the first week since the implementation of the decision to stop providing accommodation to recognized refugees. The decision began to be implemented since June 1.
“We cannot offer shelter and pension eternally to those that have received international protection. They have access to a programme called Helios,” he said in an interview with Mega TV.
He estimated that all those affected by the decision will have left the hosting structures by end of July.. He
Regarding the refugees at Victoria Square in downtown Athens, Mitarakis said that those some 60 people form the Moria camp on Lesvos “should have applied for the Helios programme and tried to find a place to live. It was their own choice to buy a ticket and go to Victoria square because someone told them to go there.”
He added that some groups try to instrumentalize them for political reasons.
