EU border patrols to start this week

The long-awaited border patrols against illegal immigration in the Mediterranean will get off the ground this week in a two-week operation involving military units from five EU member states including Malta.

Ikka Laitinen, the head of the EU's border control agency Frontex, yesterday told The Times that the sea and air mission, covering the area between Italy, Malta and Libya, "will definitely start before the beginning of the weekend".

The operation was originally called Jason 1 but the name has now been changed to Nautilus after the original plans were heavily modified due to Libya's lack of support.

Maltese and Italian military boats will be the key players, supported by French planes and vessels, Greek planes and German helicopters. The two-week mission is expected to cost the EU over €1.2 million. The EU had promised Malta that the joint border patrols would get underway at the beginning of summer but political and diplomatic resistance from Tripoli forced Frontex and the Commission to postpone their start several times.

Asked why Frontex had decided to change the mission's name, Mr Laitinen explained that this will be a different operation to the one originally planned for the area - Jason 1 had assumed the involvement and cooperation of Libya.

"Since Libya is not participating, we had to change the modus operandi of the mission, including the operational area we will patrol. We will not be so close to the southern coast (Libya) as we intended to be."

The last batch of illegal immigrants to land in Malta was on September 13, when 21 Somalis were rescued after they were spotted in difficulty east of the island. A few days later, 12 migrants, including a minor, were rescued by a Tunisian search vessel in Maltese waters and taken to Tunis. Another 12 were presumed dead after a search and rescue operation for survivors of the capsized boat proved futile.

Mr Laitenen yesterday shrugged off claims that the Frontex operation is merely an experiment intended as a political gesture to the citizens of Malta and southern Italy, sending the message that the EU is doing something to alleviate the illegal immigration problem. He said Frontex had been planning this operation in detail for months and had kept all its options open. It was only due to the Libyan problem that the operation had not yet started.

Mr Laitenen said the main aim will be to divert illegal immigrants from the coasts of southern Europe. However he stressed that Frontex will also be using the operation to save lives. Illegal immigrants in distress will be given all possible help.

A similar Frontex mission has been taking place off the Canary Islands over the summer but Mr Laitinen recently admitted that its impact was limited because his agency is dependent on voluntary contributions from EU member states, which donated just two boats and two aircraft.

European Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini last week criticised EU countries for not doing enough to help fellow member states fight illegal immigration.