Frontier agency keeps migrants in its sights

At the opening last week (27 March) of the new offices of Frontex in Warsaw, Franco Frattini, the commissioner for justice, freedom and security, did not hide his admiration for the EU border agency: "When I refer to an efficient, active and effective European agency I always use the example of Frontex."

It is almost a year since the first Frontex-led operations involving several member states were announced to address the unprecedented numbers of immigrants arriving on Spain’s Canary Islands. According to Frontex’s own statistics, it would appear that the fledgling agency has indeed achieved results.

These operations involved mobilising experts to help identify immigrants and patrolling sea and air borders off the west African coast to stop migrants leaving Senegal or Mauritania.

Of the 18,987 illegal migrants who arrived on the islands between June and October, Frontex says both its experts and the Spanish authorities "identified 100% of them".

During the naval and air patrol operation, between August and December, 14,572 illegal migrants arrived in the Canaries while 3,887 were intercepted and diverted back to the African coast.

Anticipating a similar influx to Europe’s southern borders again this spring and summer, new missions to identify migrants and patrol the coasts have started. This time member states have pledged more help. Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal will send experts to help identify immigrants while Italy, Luxembourg and France, in addition to Spain, will contribute to naval and air patrols.

Operations to stem the flow of immigrants towards Italy and Malta are expected to be launched again this year and Frontex is expected to take the lead of an Italian expert-mission to Libya to help reinforce its borders to keep would-be-migrants out.

A list of equipment that can be made available to Frontex has been drawn up and, following pressure from Frattini, includes 19 aircraft, 24 helicopters and 107 boats from 17 member states. The Commission is also hoping that the member states and the European Parliament will approve this year the Rapid Border Intervention Teams - experts ready to be deployed to help identify migrants or reinforce surveillance and patrols.

But while the Commission can point to successes, concerns still exist about the missions and about theirfocus on keeping people out of Europe.

A ship carrying 400 migrants, mostly from India and Pakistan, recently drifted for weeks off the coast of Mauritania while the Spanish and Mauritanian authorities wrangled over which country was responsible for the boat. Fears are that the focus on keeping people out of Europe will cause such incidences to recur. "If such operations continue we might see more of this kind of thing, especially since preventing people from leaving is the main focus," said Kris Pollet, executive officer on justice and home affairs in Amnesty International’s Brussels office.

"Frontex…will have more equipment than last year but whether it can contribute to solve the problem I have great doubts," he added.

Groups dealing with migrants’ rights and development issues feel the emphasis continues to be on stopping people leaving poor countries rather than working towards making them not want to leave. The Commission is to open its first reception centre in Mali this year with the aim of informing people about job options in Europe but also warning about the perils of trying to get into Europe illegally. "We still don’t know exactly what these reception centres will do…the idea is not a bad one but it all depends on what is really behind it and if this is just a charade or something more," Pollet said.

There are also concerns about what exactly happens when a Frontex patrol intercepts a boat carrying immigrants and how asylum-seekers can be helped. The United Nations agency for refugees, UNHCR, has discussed co-operation with Frontex on training personnel on how to identify and refer asylum claims. Madeline Garlick, senior European affairs officer at UNHCR’s Brussels’ office, said: "Difficult situations may arise out on the high seas and it is difficult to tell what is going on in interception operations. If Frontex operations are taking place inside third countries’ waters, there must also be opportunities for people who need protection to get access to procedures in safety," she said.

At the opening last week (27 March) of the new offices of Frontex in Warsaw, Franco Frattini, the commissioner for justice, freedom and security, did not hide his admiration for the EU border agency: "When I refer to an efficient, active and effective European agency I always use the example of Frontex."