Proposal for Malta-Greece joint patrols

Malta has proposed conducting intense maritime border patrols with the Greek navy to combat illegal immigration this summer.

The proposal, known as Nautilus 2, has been submitted to the EU border control agency, Frontex, and a decision is expected soon.

Sources close to Frontex said: "We have started discussing with the Maltese and Greek authorities how this operation is to be conducted, what resources and personnel are needed, the duration of this mission and the funding necessary for a successful operation."

If approved, Malta will be able to draw on EU funding for this initiative.

Nautilus 2 would be the second EU-run patrol mission on the so-called central route of the Mediterranean, primarily targeted at boatloads of illegal immigrants leaving from Libya and other north African countries and heading towards the EU's southern borders, particularly Malta, Lampedusa and Sicily.

Other member states may decide to join the Nautilus 2 operation, but Frontex sources said discussions with them were still underway.

It will not be disclosed when this operation is due to take place since, government sources said, "doing so would provide important planning information to human traffickers and criminal organisations involved in these operations".

However, the sources said it would last much longer than the two-week operation conducted at the beginning of last October. Coordinated by Frontex, Nautilus 1 had involved military vessels and aircraft from Malta, Italy, Greece, France and Germany. There were no reports of illegal immigrant landings during that period.

The mission had cost the EU €1.2 million and had got off the ground following months of technical discussions between the forces of participating countries and the European Commission. Its command centre was based on the Italian island of Lampedusa and the five member states involved kept a 24-hour watch on the strait between Sicily, Malta and Libya.

A similar Frontex mission had taken place off the Canary Islands over the summer.

The EU has this year added millions of euros to Frontex's budget aiming to be in a better position to stem the tide of illegal immigration.