The EU ombudsman accuses the EU asylum agency of mismanaging the asylum cases of vulnerable applicants in Greece, despite strong indications of human trafficking among those arriving on Samos island
Gaia Neiman
An enquiry on Monday (6 July) by the European Ombudsman has revealed mishandling of asylum applicants in Greece by the Malta-based EU Asylum Agency (EUAA).
Mistakes included failure to flag cases of human trafficking and pushbacks, possibly due to insufficient staff training.
A missing mechanism for asylum seekers to report mistakes made during asylum interviews was also spotted, leading the EU watchdog to open an enquiry, resulting in four recommendations to address these gaps.
Two legal aid NGOs on the island of Samos, a migrant arrival hotspot in the east Aegean, initially reported concerns about how EUAA caseworkers conducted interviews with vulnerable asylum applicants while providing them with legal support in November 2022.
Confronted with inaction, I Have Rights Samos and Avocats sans Frontières France later lodged an additional complaint for improper assessment of asylum applications involving traumatic experiences, often by victims of torture and inhuman treatment, as well as not following up on reports of pushbacks by the Greek coastguard.
The complaint “also raises serious concern with how the EUAA addresses and investigates allegations of fundamental rights violations committed by its staff and/or by the staff of the national authorities where it carries out operations,” the two NGOs said in a statement.
A 2024 study from Heidelberg University found that 7.3 percent of refugees had experienced trafficking, while research by a committee of human rights groups found that at least 80,865 migrant pushbacks occurred in 2025 alone.
When the EUAA did not respond, the non-profits pushed their complaints up to the ombudsman in 2024.
Inquiring on EUAA’s operating procedures, the ombudsman Teresa Anjinho recommended that its caseworkers receive regular training on vulnerability and human trafficking, and that a reporting system be created for asylum seekers to report mistakes in an asylum interview followed by an assessment by the EUAA.
Moreover, the watchdog requested that once vulnerabilities are identified, from health issues to complexities related to human trafficking, victims be directed to further help.
“EUAA should guarantee the protection of fundamental rights in its activities, including when it is only carrying out a support role,” the EU ombudsman wrote on social media.
