Participation of GNCHR in the consultations of the European Economic and Social Committee in Greece

The Greek National Commission for Human Rights (GNCHR) participated in the consultations of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Greece in the context of the preparation of the ex-post evaluation report of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for the period 2014-2020 on 31 October 2024. The EESC is an EU advisory body composed of representatives of employers' and workers' organisations and other interest groups and promotes participatory processes. It is the first time that the GNCHR has been invited at European or national level to participate in evaluations of funds. In this regard, the GNCHR Coordinator of the Scientific Staff, Ms Eva Tzavala, stressed the special role that EU law confers on National Human Rights Institutions in all stages of European funding, from design and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. A good practice in this field is the cooperation of the GNCHR with the General Secretariat of the Public Investment Programme in the design, implementation and monitoring of the NSRF. The GNCHR, in its independent reports, during the period 2014-2020, had documented a number of violations of the rights of applicants for international protection, such as in the field of housing, health, interpretation, legal aid, etc., which were funded by AMIF 2014-2020 programmes. The ESTIA programme, which was funded by emergency support, constitutes a good practice.  In the period 2021-2027, Greece has more experience and the effort should focus on the harmonization of the actual situation in the field with the Greek legislation and international and European standards through appropriate measures.