Addressing statelessness in Europe’s refugee response In Serbia, most participants said they had little interaction with other stakeholders as they invariably saw their stay in the country as transitory, and in most cases had arrived very recently. One described an interaction with the police in which there was no effort to interrogate his status or nationality: ‘When I entered Serbia and police caught me, they took me to police station and registered me there. They just asked me my name, age and country where I am from and gave me an ‘intention to seek asylum’ document. Police didn't make any problem because I didn't have documents.’ (Afghan from Iran interviewed in Serbia) In the Netherlands, contact with national authorities was characterised not by fear, but rather by frustration and a feeling that officials did not have enough knowledge about statelessness to adequately assist them. One interviewee said the municipalities did not understand the situation facing Palestinians, another expressed concern at municipalities’ tendency to register people as ‘nationality unknown’ rather than exploring the possibility they may be stateless. Another described his relationship with the Dutch authorities as frustrating and bureaucratic: ‘[The authorities make] absurd decisions for which no one is responsible. The municipality also had no clue and could not provide any information. They are not interested in statelessness. Every official has a form that needs to be filled in, more than that, they don’t care.’ (Stateless person from Former-USSR interviewed in the Netherlands) Civil society actors Most refugees said they had limited interaction with civil society actors and some expressed frustration at the lack of community groups or NGOs working specifically with stateless people. In Greece, there was an appreciation for the assistance of community-based actors in Lesvos, for example, including those providing legal assistance, but these relationships were often temporary and limited. NGOs providing legal advice in the Netherlands were also mentioned, but one interviewee saw these as ‘too bureaucratic’ and difficult to engage with. Palestinian and Kurdish grassroots organisations in the Netherlands appeared to be well-established and active, but some interviewees expressed a desire for a stateless community organisation to provide support, which they saw as lacking and contributing to their isolation: ‘[We need] a community where we make plans, exchange experiences, exchange ideas and information or even organise a demonstration for our neglected cause.’ (Kuwaiti bidoon interviewed in the Netherlands) In Serbia, participants had not tried to engage with or approach NGOs for assistance but said they got information and advice from family and community members in other European countries. Some said they were aware that UNHCR could help them but had not accessed or did not know how to access their support. 9