The undersigned organisations would like to express our serious concerns on a de facto violation of the right for family reunification and breach of relevant provisions stipulated in the EU Regulation 604/2013 (Dublin III Regulation), regarding asylum seekers’ transfers from Greece to Germany under family reunification procedure. We refer specifically to a practice recorded during the last months according to which, asylum seekers entitled to be transferred to Germany under the relevant provisions of the Dublin III Regulation, are “blocked’ in Greece for periods exceeding the deadlines provided by the above mentioned provisions, for reasons related to supplementary terms of a maximum number of transfers per month. This situation is jeopardizing the whole process and undermines the right of asylum seekers to family reunification, as provided by Dublin III Regulation and violates further their right to family life as stipulated in article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights as well as article 7 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. In particular, during the last months we have become aware of many cases of asylum seekers whose taking charge requests have been accepted by Germany though their transfer 2 to Germany has not taken place, although the six-month deadline (art. 29) has expired. We have also been aware of many other cases for which the above deadline is to expire soon, but nevertheless no arrangements have been made for their transfer.  

Read open letter addressed to EU Commission, Parliament and German authorities signed by 27 civil society organisations.

UNHCR
COUNCIL OF EUROPE-COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
EUROPEAN COMMISSION-DG HOME-ASYLUM UNIT
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT-LIBE COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AGENCY
MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF GERMANY
MINISTER FOR MIGRATION POLICY OF GREECE