In a letter dated 5 September to the Permanent Representative of Greece to the Council of Europe, the President of the Conference of INGOs and the President of its Expert Council on NGO Law react to recent statements by Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum commenting adversely on NGOs that legally represent the asylum seekers affected by the suspension of the right to asylum in court proceedings and suggesting that they will be subjected to an administrative audit:
“This is particularly concerning as these statements follow the interim measures issued by the European Court of Human Rights to secure the right of eight asylum-seekers to remain in Greece until the examination of their suspension applications at the administrative courts is completed. (…)”
The letter also recalls that Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)14 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the legal status of non-governmental organisations in Europe specifically provides that “NGOs should be free to undertake advocacy on issues of public debate, regardless of whether the position taken is in accord with government policy”. It concludes with the hope that the said comments will not be followed up by any concrete measures against NGOs.
See also CINGO’s statement of 25 July 2025 on the suspension of the right to asylum in Greece
