Maltese MEP proposes €30m more for Frontex

Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil has submitted two amendments to the EU 2008 budget calling for an increase in the EU's financial allocations for its external frontiers agency, Frontex.

The first amendment proposes to increase the agency's operational budget, intended for patrol missions at the EU's external borders, by €30 million up to a total of €68 million.

Dr Busuttil explained that this increase is necessary in order to give the agency adequate financial resources to perform its tasks effectively. He said it was clear that Frontex was under-financed.

"For this year, the European Parliament already gave Frontex more money than it asked for and even this was not enough as the Commission started looking for more money and a mission in the Mediterranean had to be cut short," Dr Busuttil told the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament.

Socialist MEP Barbara Durkhop, who is rapporteur on the Frontex budget, is proposing a more limited increase of €20 million.

The second amendment tabled by Dr Busuttil calls for up to 50 per cent of the agency's administrative budget to be frozen until EU countries honour their pledges to provide the agency with planes, helicopters and boats to help it do its job effectively.

Frontex does not have its own assets and relies on member states. But some of them have not been forthcoming in honouring their pledges. Italy, for instance, pledged more than 50 vessels to Frontex but provided none in the first phase of the Mediterranean "Nautilus II" mission in July. It has dedicated five vessels in the phase which kicked off yesterday.

Dr Busuttil said that it was time for member states to live up to their promises and Frontex must get them to do so.

"Frontex cannot perform its tasks effectively unless it gets this support and this is why its administrative budget should be tied to this pre-condition. Yes, we want Frontex to have more funding.

But only on condition that it delivers."

Amendments on the Frontex budget will be adopted in the European Parliament's Justice and Home Affairs Committee next week. Dr Busuttil is the EPP-ED budget spokesman in this committee.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the European Parliament's Budgets Committee will be in Malta on September 21 and 22 to look at how the EU and Frontex are helping Malta deal with immigration and whether this help is being used effectively.