On this page you can discover more about reports, policy briefs, joint statements and letters that Samos Volunteers has produced, signed, co-signed or supported.

Open Letter – Against racism and discrimination

21 March 2024 | Open Letter

Today, March 21, is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Together with other organisations, we have co-signed a letter expressing our serious concerns about issues of discrimination in the European Union, including against vulnerable groups in Greece.

We call on the European Parliament to take initiatives in every possible way to bring about real change in the issues of racism and discrimination.

Read the open letter here.  

CSO Statement – Call on MEPs to uphold fundamental rights

15 March 2024 | CSO Statement

EU lawmakers have reached an agreement on the Schengen Borders Code reform, which will be voted on in the LIBE Committee next week. The reform will have devastating consequences for people in migration and racialised communities, including risks of widespread racial profiling and legalisation of internal pushbacks.

We have joined more than 80 organisations in calling on MEPs in the LIBE Committee to reject the reform and give a clear signal against legislation that undermines fundamental rights.

Read the full statement here.

CSO Statement – Call on MEPs to reject the EU Migration Pact

14 February 2024 | CSO Statement

This week, co-legislators will vote to either endorse or reject the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. We join 160 other civil society organisations in calling for them to reject this Pact. 

In December 2023, more than 50 organisations signed an open letter to the negotiators asking for them to protect fundamental rights and preserve safeguards in the files. This letter fell on deaf ears, and the final political agreement foresees a system of deterrence, detention, racial profiling, and swift returns. All of this will have devastating consequences for the right to seek asylum in the EU, and will proliferate the failed systems that we have witnessed in frontline Member States like Greece and Italy across the bloc. 

This move entrenches a system that has been failing for almost a decade, the situations at Europe’s border - already fraught with abuses - will only worsen.

Read the full statement here.

Joint Letter – “I came to be safe, but I am not safe”

6 February 2024 | Joint Letter

In 2023, LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in Greece, including on Samos, continue to be faced with unsafe accommodation, inadequate protections, and a hostile asylum process.

In a Joint Letter, informed by the LGBTQI+ community through focus groups and surveys, we call on the Greek authorities to take urgent action and adhere to the European standards. 

Read the full letter here.

Joint Statement – Call for upholding human rights in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre

31 January 2024 | Joint Statement

Together with 19 other civil society organisations, Samos Volunteers calls on the Greek authorities and the European Commission to uphold human rights in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC).

In 2023, the living conditions in the CCAC amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment. People newly arrived at the CCAC last year were forced to sleep in spaces such as kitchens and classrooms, without beds or mattresses. They were not offered clothing and shoes, forcing many people to wear what they arrived in for extended periods. In addition, access to running water remained a recurring problem, preventing daily water needs from being met.

As we start a new year, we unite our voices to say: human rights guaranteed in 2024.

We once again call for the closure of the CCAC. In the meantime, given the urgent need for humane conditions, we call on the Greek authorities and the European Commission to respect people’s fundamental rights, including adequate accommodation, access to medical care and water.

Read the full statement here.

 

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