MEPs approve rapid intervention teams

The European Parliament, meeting during its plenary session in Strasbourg, yesterday approved a regulation providing for special rapid response teams to be set up to provide technical and operational assistance should there be any major influxes of illegal immigrants over the external borders of any EU member state.

MEPs adopted the new rules by 526 votes in favour, 63 against and 28 abstentions.

This initiative had already been given the green light by EU Justice Ministers last week but needed the consent of Parliament to enter into force.

EU sources yesterday told The Times that the new teams are expected to become functional this summer.

Given the difficulties that some southern member states face in coping with massive arrivals of illegal immigrants by sea, in 2005 the EU Council asked the European Commission to table a proposal to create Rapid Border Intervention Teams. It stipulated that these teams should pool member states' financial means and human resources to act in emergencies at EU frontiers, but under the coordination of the EU frontier management agency Frontex.

The regulation stipulates that the salaries of border guards deployed in rapid border intervention teams in a host country will continue to be paid by the home countries, but the extra costs of operations, including travel expenses, repatriation, insurance and living costs, will be borne by Frontex.

The targeted initial personnel strength of these teams is estimated to be some 450 officers.

Speaking during the debate preceding yesterday's vote, Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil welcomed this new development and said that thanks to this regulation, countries facing emergency situations on immigration will now start to feel they are no longer completely on their own.

However, Dr Busuttil cautioned that these teams on their own will not be enough to solve the problems and more needs to be done by the EU to strengthen its southern borders.