The EU's border control agency is planning to extend its illegal immigration sea patrols mission off the coast of Malta to at least six months next year, The Sunday Times has learnt.
The Frontex agency's plans were explained to MEPs during a 'closed-door' session of the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament last week. The agency has earmarked more than €8 million (Lm3.47 million) specifically to be used for this mission.
During the session, the agency's executive director Ilkka Laitinen gave a presentation of the surveillance missions that Frontex is planning to carry out next year across all the EU's external borders and how it intends to spend its €70 million (Lm30.4 million) budget, the biggest ever given to this agency.
According to sources, Mr Laitinen told MEPs that the mission - once again called Nautilus - will be the second biggest sea patrol for Frontex next year, after the one to be carried out around the Canary Islands, which should last a few weeks longer than the one off Malta.
Nautilus III will now span six months - from April through to the end of September - practically covering the entire illegal immigration 'season'. Frontex has already established the number of helicopters, aircraft and patrol boats necessary to man this operation for the period.
There will also be several other land, sea and air missions in other parts of Europe, although on a much smaller scale.
The decision by Frontex to triple the extent of the Nautilus mission was taken following a positive assessment of the first two missions during 2006 and 2007.
Sources said that Mr Laitinen told MEPs that this year's mission in the Mediterranean, conducted in two stages during July and September, yielded positive results, leading to a marked reduction in the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Malta.
Malta's increased patrols next year are a direct result of a €30 million increase to the agency's budget approved last month by the European Parliament following a proposal by MEP Simon Busuttil.
When contacted, Dr Busuttil, a member of the Civil Liberties Committee, declined to comment, saying he was bound by confidentiality.
However, Dr Busuttil confirmed that Malta will be benefiting substantially next year from the agency's increased budget.
"This is why we worked so hard to double the agency's budget... because we want it to be more effective and help us stem the flow of illegal immigration."