Border Protection Division/ Hellenic Police HQs

Operational Unit

4, P. Kanellopoulou Av.-P.C. 10177-Athens.

Enforcement of immigration legislation data (EIL statistics) contain statistical information based on Article 5 and 7of the Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 as amended by the Regulation (EU) 2020/851 with reference to third-countrynationals:

• Refused entry at the external border,ound to be illegally present;
• Fordered to leave;
• Returned following an order to leave.

See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Migration and asylum – Enforcement of Immigration Legislation statistics.

See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Νumber of persons/apprehensions for Y1 &Y2

See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Greece - EL

See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Not applicable.

Number of persons.

Calendar quarter and calendar year.

The statistics collected under the Regulation 862/2007.

Not applicable.

The issues of maintaining statistical confidentiality are regulated by Articles 6, 7, and 8 of Law 3832/2010, as amended by Article 90, paragraph 8 of Law 3842/2010, and Article 10 of Law 3899/2010, as well as by Article 8 of Law 2392/1996, which was reinstated according to Article 90, paragraph 8 of Law 3842/2010.

At the European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)), of March 11, 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), defines the need for establishing common principles and guidelines that ensure the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and access to such confidential data, taking into account technical developments and user requirements.

Hellenic Police protects and does not disseminate the data it possesses or has access to, which allow for the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units that provided the data by revealing individualized information, obtained directly for statistical purposes or indirectly from administrative or other sources. It takes all appropriate preventive measures to prevent the identification of individual statistical units through technical or other means that can reasonably be used by third parties. Statistical results that may enable the identification of the statistical unit are disseminated by Hellenic Police only if:

• These results have been modified, as specifically defined in the Regulation of Statistical Obligations of the entities of the Hellenic Statistical System (ELSS), in such a way that their dissemination does not compromise statistical confidentiality; or
• The statistical unit has unreservedly consented to the disclosure of the data.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Monthly.

Monthly.

Not available at national level.

Not available at national level.

Presentation of the National online national database for EIL data accessible to the public and the accessibility procedure.

Not requested.

Not requested.

Not available at national level.

Not requested.

There is not a published documentation on methodology concerning the collection and evaluation of EIL statistics.

Not requested.

Not applicable.

Not available.

1. Description of the Quality management system at national level

Comprehensive quality controls are implemented throughout the entire process, spanning from the initial data collection phase to the final formulation. The data undergoes rigorous validation through logical checks designed to identify and rectify any potential errors. Following these thorough inspections and cross-referencing procedures, and after making the necessary adjustments, the resulting outcomes are deemed to be of the highest quality.

• Good quality (extensive quality) - covers all quality requirements and substantial quality checks are performed and a very good cooperation exists between institutions;
• Sufficient quality (acceptable quality) - covers minimum requirements, but issues still exist and more information/validation is needed for a better quality assessment and acceptable cooperation issues exists;
• Poor quality (inadequate quality) - the data do not meet the minimum requirements or there is not enough information for quality assessment and important cooperation issues exists.

1. General aspects

The statistics collected under the Regulation 862/2007 are widely used in official publications and by a wide range of users at national, European and International level.

Main users of EIL statistics at national level
The EIL statistics produced are regularly used by national administrations: academic researchers and civil society groups working on a wide range of topics including the integration of immigrants, the development and monitoring of national asylum and immigration procedures, and the projection of the future population and labour force.

National administrations in policy/decisions making, National statistics office, Local authorities and organizations, academic and scientific research and Media.

Main users of EIL statistics at European and International level
The main users of EIL statistics are Eurostat, DG Home Affairs and EASO . The statistics are used in several publications of the Commission, as well as in the preparation of regular reports, policy proposals and analysis.  The statistics also provide an input to the EMN studies and reports that address specific issues of current policy importance.

2. EIL data publication at national level

Presentation of the EIL statistics published at national level

No national publication on EIL statistics. At national level, the Hellenic Police publishes, on a monthly and annually basis, data with different variables.

 Differences between the data provided to Eurostat and the data published at national level (Comparability of figures)

There are differences between the categories.The data published at national level, which are also included into EIL statistics, are identical.

Not available.

Completeness of the data provided based on Articles 5 and 7 Regulation 862/2007 (mandatory data provision) and justification of the missing mandatory breakdowns and completeness of the data provided on voluntary basis.

See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Not requested.

 No major systematic errors are identified in the statistical outputs. An accuracy of nearly 100 % is to be expected.

Procedures and classifications used in case of missing information (e.g. unknown citizenship, age, etc)

In the database, mandatory and optional fields are used the same. The missing information is requested via formal document or email from our regional Services, which upload the data in the “Mapping on Migrants” application. Unknown citizenship, age and gender is classified as unknown.

Not requested.

Not requested.

 See table 13.3.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not requested.

Not requested.

Not requested.

No significant errors are identified.

Not requested.

No significant time lags are identified.

Not requested.

Not requested.

Problems with data provision to Eurostat in due time and the impact of these problems on the data quality provided to Eurostat.

"See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’."

Not requested.

1. Provision of data using the Eurostat EIL Technical Guidelines and exceptions applied.

Full compliance with EIL technical guidelines.

 2. Details on categories of Non-EU citizens difficult to be classified using the reference definitions from EIL technical guidelines and the categories excluded from these reasons (excluded from the statistics reported).

Full compliance with EIL technical guidelines.

3. Description of records related to "Unknown" country of citizenship category.

Full compliance with EIL technical guidelines. 

<4. Description of records related to "Unknown" age category.

Persons whose current age is not identified. 

5. Description of records related to "Unknown" sex category.

Persons whose sex is not identified.

6. Establishing the reported ground in case of “multiple grounds” for the same refusal and the impact on double counting of the person in the same dataset.

The methodological procedure of "one ground per refused person", is applied, as laid down in EIL Technical Guidelines (procedure of "higher ground overrules the lower ground for refusal).

There is no impact on double counting. 

7. Type of "external border" applicable.

Land boarder, Sea border and Air border

 8. The definition of “refused Non-EU citizens” applied.

The Schengen Borders Code's refusal definition is applies for the Statistics reported to Eurostat

 >9. The correspondence between the national system of “grounds for refusal" classification and Schengen Borders Code classification.

The national system uses the same definitions related to the “grounds for refusal”. 

10. The definition of “Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present” applied.

The number of third-country nationals who have been detected by authorities while not fulfilling, or no longer fulfilling, the conditions for stay or residence, either when they are detected inland or while trying to exit the territory. 

11. The definition of “Non-EU citizens ordered to leave” applied.

The number of third-country nationals subject to an obligation to leave the territory of the Member State as a result of an administrative or judicial decision or act stating or declaring that the stay of the third-country national was illegal according to a return decision/order issued in accordance with national law. 

12. The definition of “Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave” applied.

The number of third-country nationals returned from a Member State to a third country, either through voluntary departure or by forced return.

Not applicable.

See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Not requested.

See table 15.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’. 

No significant lack of coherence is identified.

Not requested.

1. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens with obligation to leave and Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory.

There are links between the statistics on Non-EU citizen with obligation to leave and Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory. More specifically, a Non-EU citizen who actually left the territory is a person who actually left the territory while he had already the obligation to leave the territory (a return decision/order issued in accordance with national law). 

2. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory and Non-EU citizens who left the territory to a third country.

Persons reported under "left to a third country" are also included under "who actually left the territory".

Not requested.

The data may be revised in accordance with the most recently updated information.

See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Not requested.

See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EIL 2023’.

Annual and Monthly.

National systematic process of gathering data for official statistics.

Description of the data validation system at national level.

Data extracted on a monthly basis from the “Mapping of Migrants” application, is verified and reviewed directly from the Border Protection Division. Compare data with daily reports.

Estimations used: Details on the estimations done for EIL statistics (methodology applied and the concerned categories and tables).

Not applicable.

Not requested.

Not applicable.

Not requested.

1. General remarks

The following classification is used for data availability at Eurostat level:

• The term "not applicable" relates to the categories of permits which do not exist in nationallegislation/administrative procedures and therefore such statistics cannot be issued;
• The term "not available" relates to categories of data that exist in the national legal/administrative system butcannot be delivered under EIL data collection for various reasons (e.g. data cannot exist, data exist but are notcollected, data are unreliable, etc.).

2. General description of the statistical domain at national level

EIL National System (level of development, main changes that affected the system in the last years and furtherdevelopment).

The national system of Greece for the generation of the EIL-statistics consists of two different Divisions of theAliens & Border Protection Branch of Hellenic Police HQs. For the collection of the EIL statistics Border ProtectionDivision is the responsible authority, which takes over the unification and the upload of the data on behalf of theHellenic Police/HQs. This system is unchanged since introduction of the EIL-statistics.

Legal national framework relevant for EIL statistics:

• Presidential decree 178/2014;
• Institutional infrastructure (list of the institutions involved in managing the EIL registers and the institutionsinvolved in the production of the EIL statistics);
• Border Protection Division and Migration Management Division of Hellenic Police HQs;
• General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens refused entry at the external borders;
• All available relevant data registered electronically, prepared for reporting, in specific applications of our nationalIT system “Police on Line” such as “Mapping of Migrants”. In addition, our division receives, compares andevaluates the collected data, which are reported in a daily base by our regional Services;
• General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present;
• All available relevant data registered electronically, prepared for reporting, in specific applications of our nationalIT system “Police on Line”, such as “Mapping of Migrants”;
• General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens ordered to leave;
• All available relevant data registered electronically, prepared for reporting, in specific applications of our nationalIT system “Police on Line” such as “Mapping of Migrants”;
• General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave;
• All available relevant data registered electronically, prepared for reporting, in specific applications of our nationalIT system “Police on Line” such as “Mapping of Migrants”.

3. Main problems that affect the quality of the data and what tables are concerned including thecompliance status with the definitions from EIL Technical Guideline.

(See metadata information including concepts and definitions from the EIL ESMS file).
There are not any critical problems concerning the quality of the data.