Press Release
January 15, 2024
Interpreters in refugee camps and asylum procedures unpaid for eight months
METAdrasi urgently highlights the critical situation of being in the eighth consecutive month of outstanding payments from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum for the provision of interpretation services. These funds are specifically allocated and already disbursed by the European Commission to the Ministry of Finance for this purpose.
Interpretation is a key service in asylum procedures as well as in the Accommodation Centres for refugees and seekers of international protection. Despite our patience and ongoing commitment to provide uninterrupted interpretation, the situation has reached a critical point. The issue initially communicated on 30/10/2023, has now escalated, jeopardizing our ability to sustain operations beyond January. This may lead to a substantial reduction in interpretation services and the number of our dedicated interpreters.
As an organization on the front line, it is not our concern whether the state accounting system is down and when it will reopen, whether the Ministry of Finance has paid the European funds to the Ministry of Migration, or if their designated officials are on leave or sick hindering the amounts to be paid to METAdrasi. Our main priority is addressing the hundreds of interpreting needs and daily emergency requests, as well as enhancing the quality of our services, reaching out to new interpreters in adverse conditions. In this daily struggle, it seems unthinkable to us that a non-profit humanitarian organization should be asked to constantly ‘back down’ and ask its people to be patient. It is inconceivable for us not to prioritize the payment of funds required for a Ministry with such a significant role, as is the Ministry of Migration, responsible for thousands of people living in camps and whose livelihoods depend entirely on the services provided to them.
The complexity of bureaucratic processes is a persistent problem that must be resolved, especially when basic services are at stake and people’s lives are on the line. We have faced delays resulting in months of outstanding payments, but this is the first time that in an eight-month period we have not received a single euro for the interpretation services we provide.
We urgently call upon the responsible authorities to demonstrate sensitivity towards this matter and immediately release the due fees to METAdrasi, so that our people can fulfill their financial commitments and, more importantly, continue their vital work without further hindrance.