ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ: ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΔΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΣΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

154 The ‘hotspot’ approach: key findings from Greece Among the most concerning issues is the lack of legal assistance. Another point of concern is the prolonged stay under detention and the excessive delays as a result of the lack of capacity of the Greek Asylum Service to process applications, as well as the lack of available accommodation in open reception centres, including specialised shelters for vulnerable groups. The report concludes with a number of recommendations for the future implementation of the EU hotspot approach. I. Arrivals by sea into the European Union According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 1 , in 2014, 216,054 people reached Europe’s shores whilst 3,279 lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean 2 . The European Parliament (EP) in a resolution dated 17 December 2014 3 , requested its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to “assess the various policies at stake,…develop a set of recom- mendations and to report to Plenary in the form of a strategic initiative report” on the situation in the Mediterranean. The EP also stressed the need for a holistic ap- proach to migration management towards the humanitarian challenge facing the EU and its Member States. In addition, the total number of arrivals at the EU’s external borders increased unexpectedly in 2015 , as a result of, among other factors, the prolonged crisis in Syria leading to over 1 million people crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. The death toll rose too, with 3,770 lives lost 4 . Obviously, the unprecedented migratory flows, created disproportionate pressure on the Common European Asylum Sys- tem 5 which led to policy and legislative initiatives on the part of Member States. The European Council, in response to migration and humanitarian challenges faced by EU Member States, adopted a series of measures at its special meeting of 1. http://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean#_ga =1.268639923.391985686.145 7969959. 2. http://missingmigrants.iom.int/region/mediterranean. 3. European Parliament resolution of 17 December 2014 on the situation in theMediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration. 4. http://www.unhcr.org/5533c2406.html and http://www.bbc.com/news/world- europe-32371348. 5. Common European Asylum System (CEAS): was established as the main EU legal and policy framework for asylum. This system has been built up and developed since 1999 and is currently again under review (COM (2016) 197 FINAL OF 6.4.2016 “Towards a reform of the Common European Asylum System and enhancing legal avenues to Europe.) It consists of a series of directives and regulations, whose main aim is to set minimum common standards amongst Member States when dealing with people in need of international protection.