Sunday, 21st September 2008
Frontex chief admits failure
Illka Laitinen
The EU's increased patrols off Malta and Lampedusa might be one of the main reasons why the two islands received a record number of illegal immigrants, according to the Frontex chief.
The anti-immigration patrols being carried out in the centre of the Mediterranean are not achieving the desired results, Illka Laitinen, the executive director of the EU's Border Control Agency, has admitted.
Mr Laitinen was speaking in Brussels about the immigration situation in the Mediterranean which he described as "increasingly alarming".
"Unfortunately, increased EU patrols in the Mediterranean are failing to prevent an increase in clandestine migrants reaching Italy, Malta and Greece by sea," he said.
According to the Frontex chief, arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa increased by 190 per cent in the first six months of 2008, compared with the same period last year. Although Malta has not experienced the same levels as its Italian counterpart, this year it still received a record number of illegal immigrants, registering an increase so far of 32 per cent on the whole of 2007.
The Libyan authorities' refusal to stem the flow of departures from their country remains the main reasons for illegal immigrant crossings, but Mr Laitinen said the presence of more patrols by the EU in the area might also be a contributory factor.
"This is the saddest part of the story. We have an increased level of operational activities which might be serving as a pull factor for traffickers."
According to Mr Laitinen, traffickers are forcing immigrants to sink the boats they are sailing on close to the coasts of Malta and Lampedusa so that they will be saved by Frontex vessels and taken ashore.
Nicknamed Nautilus III, the patrols are a joint EU mission coordinated by Frontex on the central Mediterranean route surveying the stretch of sea between Sicily, Malta and Libya against migrant trafficking. This is the third year that the EU is coordinating these patrols with the contribution of the Armed Forces of Malta, Italy, France, Germany and Greece and is costing the EU €8 million.
Statistics obtained by The Sunday Times from Frontex show that since the start of this year's operation in May, 12,641 illegal immigrants arrived in Lampedusa and 2,192 landed in Malta. None of the immigrants intercepted by Frontex has been directed back as Libya does not accept any responsibility for the immigrants fleeing its coast. This, in fact, seems to be the main reason for the mission's failure.
A similar mission off the coasts of the Spanish Canary Islands is bearing fruit as both Senegal and Mauritania are cooperating and taking back the migrants leaving their shores to reach the EU.
While the number of arrivals in the Canary Islands this year is still high - 5,662 - another 4,180 illegal immigrants were turned back after being intercepted by Frontex vessels.
However, according to the Frontex chief, this success might also be having a negative effect on the central Mediterranean.
"Traffickers could be targeting Malta and Italy as an alternative to the Canary Islands. The number of clandestine immigrants reaching the Canaries has fallen considerably since 2006."
He added that "big-question marks" still hang over this theory, not least because there is no correlation of nationalities using the different routes.
The only certain positive effect which Nautilus III is leaving on Malta is its positive impact on the Armed Forces budget. Through this mission, the AFM recovers 80 per cent of the costs of its patrol missions off the coast of Malta. This year, the EU subvention is expected to amount to more than €1.1 million.
AFM sources told The Sunday Times that this is having a positive impact of the AFM's normally stretched finances.
"We still used to fork out this money before in order to carry out our patrols. At least the EU coffers are now covering many of the costs incurred by our patrol boats and planes."
This year's Frontex mission in Malta is expected to last until the end of October.
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Comments
Your remark about Dom Mintoff and the Helsinki conference does not bear any resemblance, AT ALL, to the historical facts. The facts are as stated in my memoires NO, HONOURABLE MINISTER. For the sake of history, here I shall just say that the conference in question was the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). Mintoff's intransigence did not obtain anything of substance in the CSCE, be it in Heksinki (1973), Geneva (1975), Belgrade (1978) or Madrid (1983). Whatever was achieved was obtained before our notorious "last stand".
Re. my last sentence, I would like to point out that 2 days 1hr ago (it is now 16.07hrs) I did contribute a modest comment, without any political overtones, which, perhaps,could be of some help. Other comments from me on the same lines appeared on the 17 Sept item entitled "EU-Libya launch talks on wide-ranging agreement."
I make no aplogies that my contributions are diplomatic rather than confrontational.
I do not see why you have to tell me that Frontex will not solve the problem when I was one of the very first to say that unless Libya agrees to take back the illegal migrants that set sail from its shores, Frontex is bound to fail.
Sane intelligent ideas should not be the prerogative of politicians, and we would all benefit if contributors were to come out with one or two.
Contrary to what you say, for once, politics and politicians are being shown the backdoor. It is only fools who try to politicize such a tragedy. But what I see is an almost united nation striving to make those responsible understand that their strategy would only lead to disaster and ultimately would have grave and serious consequences. Of course politicians are to be held responsible, that's why they are elected to govern and it is up to them to find solutions especially when so demanded by the people, as is this case. People have been complaining for ages but they preferred to ignore one and all. I am referring to both parties and to all members of parliament irrespective of their beliefs and colour. In fact I think that politicians are signing their death (political) sentence by turning a deaf ear to such strong demands for immediate action.
Who and how these people are going to be repatriated is the problem of who let them in in the first place. Certainly not by having Frontex as we were made to believe, but by sane, intelligent ideas that would be worth to be called courageous leaders as we deserve
Be realistic. Even bigger countries like Italy, Spain and Greece have not been able to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.
I would like to hear from those who recommend that we send back the illegal immigants back to where they came from, how they would set about doing this. Who will provide the aircraft and the ships, and how will these land in, or enter the waters of, other countries if permission is not granted? Shall we go to war?
Government's negotiating position, within the EU and with Libya, will be strenghtened by
national backing but not by partisan internal bickering.
Our small overpopulated island cannot cope and our resources are stretched to the limit. This burden of illegal immigrants is being shouldered by the hardworking Maltese.All illegal immigrants should be sent back to where they boarded to come over. Those with expired visas should be rounded up and flown back to where they came from.
Mr. Laitenen of the E.U. should be congratulated on his folly. Politicians please note.
Mr. Laitiner and his clique, definetly enjoying a fat E.U. salary for sitting on an armchair, have totally failed. Instead they have encouraged the crossing from Libya promising a safe welcome on the high sea and an escort into the E.U. Mr. Laitiner should be booted from an E.U. appointment, with immediate effect.
Our politicians should wake up and shoulder their responsiblities. They should dig their feet into the ground and refuse illegal entry, and immediately expel those with expired visas. To hell with any relative E.U.directive.
More power is to be given to our police, labour officers, ETC inspectors and health authorities. At the same time more vigilance is to be excercised by the said enforcement officers. Illegal immigrants, coming in by sea and plane, are taking up employment without conributing an iota to tax, vat or national insurance. The majority brazen faced demand free shelter, food and medical.
I suggest the authorities responsible for solving the problem of illegal immigration and human trafficking read the comments below and try to come up with some REAL solutions.
"the eu forced our lackey Government to remove the reservation" I didn't know that. And if this is true this means that [WE] tied our own hands behind our back.
Now our only hope is to Veto everything until the EU is willing to amend the Dublin Convention so as to set a reasonable limit on the intakes according to the countries land area. For example say 2 per every square kilometer. That would be 602,000 for Italy, 1,008,000 for Spain and 612 for Malta. Once the max limit is reached no more laws would force us to take any more. Isn't this reasonable? For both maltese and the EU?
Thinking of it, if it wasn't for Ireland we wouldn't have the Veto anymore. Thanks Ireland.
Mr Laitinen has failed in what has been entrusted to him. He should resign . He is not capable. That is what they do in democratic countries. No time for losers here. Get someone who is capable. He failed on both counts as it was about time he noticed. The people of Malta have been saying this for ages.
If they are sinking the boats have others ready so that they are saved from drowning, given water and food and turned towards where they came from.
And he has such a smirk on his face!!!!!!!! But then, from the very north of Europe what does he know about African illegal immigrants coming to Malta!!!!! Does he go on the Frontex boats to see for himself? This job should be entrusted to a Maltese ''chief''. How about that?
The problem is Gonzi because he has not been defending our national interests above all other condiderations
‘stop european investment in libya and then,’
Who needs who??
Are you aware that all European leaders fall on each others licking Gaddafi’s shoes for investment? The latest is our EFA.
This part of you comment is incorrect and so the rest of your comment.
If you cant or, Afraid blame the EU its useless then
When Malta had signed the Convention it had made a reservation that it will only accept refugees from European Countries.
During the negotiations for Malta's membership, the eu forced our lackey Government to remove the reservation because the eu knew that with membership, Malta was going to become a frontier post and will be inundated with African ILLEGAL immigrants.
As for renouncing to the Convention, yes we can, but we are still lumped with the eu Dublin convention.
So what we have to do is to elect leaders who will tell the eu to shove their convention and accession treaty and that we are no longer eu members.
But unfortunately we still lack these leaders as what we have are only eu lackeys.
1.Shred the Dublin Convention in our own special case.
2. Veto all EU legislation until all EU countries accept our situation and take ALL immigrants themselves.
3.Show resolute leadership qualities and send all incoming boatloads back out to sea with adequate supplies for the return journey South.
4.Repatriate ALL of the illegals residing in the Closed and Open centres.
5. Stop acting like the Mother Theresa of the world.
6.Make our message clear to all and sundry that WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ANOTHER SINGLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FROM TOMORROW.
Have you gone to ground? or have you woken up and smelt the coffee?
Have you realised at last that these comments are not racist,but are made by everyday hard working maltese citizens,trying to safegaurd not only theirs but their childrens future
We do not want leaders in black suits. We demand that our leaders have the real solutions based in depending our national interest. Stop wasting our money. Money we could raise better our children. We could buy books for our children. We could send our children to holidays to experience other countries. We could send our children to learning sessions abroad. Our taxes are being wasted in stupid non-productive meetings. It is a farce that the AFM has been able to save foreign nationals and failed to save our fishermen.
I fully agree that in this matter we cannot influence the people's perception by quoting christian values. Our first and foremost interest is our national interest. It is not in our national interest to have any illegal immigrant in Malta as Malta has become a conspirator with the human traffickers. I do not want to be a human trafficker and I do not want my government to suport such illegal and inhuman activity. The only way to fight back is to send these people back. By the same argument that is used to reverse the argument, the EU should start to make airlifts from their country of origin if these people are really suffering from their own governments. These are all excuses and there are no valid reasons to enter into another country by any illegal means. The US has built a fence between the US and Mexico; the same thing did South Africa. I guess these countries have their own commitments to international conventions and we cannot keep taking the role as the Good Samaritan. The official messages need to change to:
We are not taking any single immigrant as from tomorrow.
Police investagors must tell that these immigrants that unless they give information who gave them the boat, phones, point of departure, sailing instructions etc they will be sent back within 24 hours. Unless the PM starts fighting back, the immigrants will continue to come.
No Kiddin'!!!!!
Who on earth would have thought that patrolling the Mediterranean looking for the illegal migrant's boats and bringing them to Maltese and Italian shores would only increase the number of landings.
FRONTEX was nothing short of a shuttle service from Libya to Europe.
Do us a favour and rather than stop in October stop FRONTEX NOW!!!!
Another solution that is much better and which can also be applied together with my previous suggestion of towing them back to just outside Libyan territorial waters with just enough fuel to make it to the Libyan shores is to leave the eu, since this removes the attraction for the illegal immigrants to come here besides making us again a free and independent sovereign nation.
As I have always said, AFFRONTEX is a sham organization like the eu itself both of which are an affront to the Maltese citizens.
No solution is possible through urging Malta to take unilateral action. Frontex failed because it could not bite. Malta is not any stronger, in or out of the EU.
Libya should be made to realise that relations with the EU cannot improve until an agreement is reached on how to curtail significantly the flow of illegal immigarants to Europe from its shores. The EU could help Libya, but Libya's shopping list must be reasonable and relevant.
But at least we must thank our MEP's for the nice try. After all they spent years crying to the EU for help to get us Frontex.
@Adrian Micallef
The only solution is wise Legislation. How about signing out of the Geneva convention?
After all it is this law that oblige us to take an infinite number of irregular immigrants. Or how about at least amend it so as to specify a limit of intakes based on our size?
This is just sickening. We provide them with accommodation, social status, food, water and above all money from our hard-earned earnings, and they spit in our faces like this.
I look forward to all you illegal-immigrant-lovers commenting on this state of affairs. Strange how you've all seemed to be hiding recently...
He did not cause the problem, but he has shown a deplorable lack of judgement in dealing with it. It is enough to go back to all his statements on illegal immigrants over the last four years, including his replies (or non-replies) to parliamentary questions and his reaction to the riot by detained illegal immigrants at Hal Safi in January 2005. Go to In-Nazzjon which reported on a visit by Dr Gonzi to the AFM early in August and spoke to them more like an Archbishop than a Prime Minister.
Dr Gonzi must understand that Malta's rights and interests come first.
Is this an admission that the human trafficking mafia is winning the battle against Maltese and EU surveillance forces hands down?
Reading this article and seeing an advert of the tv station of the eurodictators´parliament makes me extremely sick... Feels like someone forcing poison down my throat.
So at last we have an official confirmation (as if one was needed) that Frontex is yet another complete EU flop.
As a taxpaying citizen, I expect answers.
How much is Laitinen earning for this failure?
Who is responsible for this mess? Who is getting sacked as a result?
How much of the €8m was spent on repatriating the illegals from their pick-up point to wherever they came from?
Why have €8m been spent on taxiing illegals to the EU instead of sending them back home?
What is going to be done so that illegals are sent back to Libya, just like Spain dumps them back to Senegal and Mauritania?
How much more of our taxes are going to be wasted like this next year?
Why and what are we waiting to stop Frontex and set up a fund to send the illegals back or issue them documents to travel to Europe?
Just for the sake of democracy, when are we going to have a say in EU matters through referenda? Why none on the Lisbon treaty?
What is the PM doing about the situation?
Tow them back to just outside Libyan territorial waters with just enough fuel to make it to the Libyan shores and never allow one single illegal immigrant, and that includes those who overstay their visa to stay here.
All over the world governments speak of their country's rights and interests. Malta is the only country where the government speaks of duties and obligations. Dr Gonzi and Dr Mifsud Bonnici are selling our country short.
How many times do I have to write this, without anyone of the pro immigrants answering me?
Pick them up from Libya by ship every week, save them from going out at sea and drown. Take them to another safe spot in Africa (Libya is safe but anyway). Solution and christian.
Now who will pay for this Frontex affront? Will our sheepish politicians keep insisting on honouring their "international humanitarian obligations"?
How much longer can the farce that is the EU go on? Shame on you all incompetent eurocrats. All you do is sponge off our taxes.
You had already been told that it will not work and this is no news for us.
GOOD MORNING or as we say in Malta BONGU! we have been saying these things ever since the frontex farce was set up. The problem sterts in libya and that's where it should have been tackled. The fact that gaddafi is not cooperating is no excuse. libya is responsible for its coast and anyone leaving the country illegally should be turned back.Then If libya fails to assist the returned migrants it's not our fault. Libya has obligations just like us with the difference that we hav no oil and therefore no clout.
According to Mr Laitinen, traffickers are forcing immigrants to sink the boats they are sailing on close to the coasts of Malta and Lampedusa so that they will be saved by Frontex vessels
and how does Mr. Laitinen know this? has he made this information known to maltese authorities? Have the frontex vessels ever made contact with any traffickers' vessels?
as for the money given to the AFM the bulk of that money goes towards the fuel wasted to go out and pick up illegal migrants.
And like many of us remarked here Mr Laitinen confirms that by having an increased level of operational activities we might be serving as a pull factor for the traffickers.
This a conflict between two sides. One side is made of do-gooders and others intent on abiding by the law. The other side is an alliance between unco-operative Libya, unscrupulous traffickers in human beings and persons who do not hesitate to embark on near-suicide expeditions. Malta is on the losing side.
Mr. Laitinen, the Frontex Chief, is admitting publicly that Frontex was nothing but a magnet. - A very BIG MAGNET for tthese illegals!
Frontex did not serve the purpose it was supposed to offer and thus it must be admitted that this whole project was a BIG FAILURE.
Therefore, Frontex's mission was a failure and who needs Frontex NOW?
FRONTEX MUST BE SCRAPPED OUTRIGHT ! ! !
.
So can we now have the 'african huggers' of this country explain once again why we should live up to our 'Christian values' and save these hordes and safeguard the traffickers' livelihood while systematically obliterating our culture and our nation in the process?
If there ever was need for driving the stark truth down the do-gooders' throats, the Frontex Chief delivered the message in such a clear way that it should hurt ALL of us.
Now let us wait for action from our Mr. Prime Minister's strong hands (and with hopefully some help from Mr. Opposition leader who talks on all subjects under the sun). The people expect tangible results now.
Let us ALL say NO MORE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. We have the power to hurt the EU with our Veto. We must now translate hot air into action before it is too late. The do-gooders should jump off the bus now.
Maybe they will even wake up more, when Malta starts to issue an EU passport to every migrant that reaches the island and sending them to their prefered destination in Europe.
"Where would you like to go?"
"Germany"
Stamp, EU Passport.
"You are free to go."
No wonder, Frontex is a farce. This should have been administered by the "suffering" countries and not from Mr. "Smiley" Laitinen!:)) Hands-on approach is required .. BXL is too far away from the zone!
They are probably being rounded up by Libian authorities and forced onto the boat so that they can get them out of Libya. No wonder that libya will not co-operate, their are hundreds of thousands of them trying to work and do odd jobs. There are places in the capital (Tripoli)that you can go to and find ilegals to do paint jods aNd house cleaning plastering and whatever is needed.
Does anybody think that Libya will ever co-operate?
They have obviously seen them. What has it done about them? Why had it not disabled them as a strategy of attrition (disable one, two or three, finally it becomes expensive to cross, and risky). Why had it not board them? Greek coats guards usually fire on their engines.
Frontex was a failure, and a notch down on the credibility of politicians who pinned their solutions on it.
They woke up at last.
All doors are being closed in our face and it is only by strong, determined action that we can save Malta from being surrendered to the foreigner. We must openly declare that since no one is ready to help and co-operate, we shall no longer be the heros and with immediate effect will refuse to accept more immigrants unless they are legal ones. We shall make it a point that all the 27 EU countries are bound by the same moral values and since they are shamefully refusing to co-operate, we are no longer able to tackle this problem. Immediately we must stop accepting more illegal immigrants at whatever cost and start repatriating those already here. No other alternative is acceptable to the Maltese public and this is being made amply clear.
i will repeat myself again and again. this should be an issue that the people decide if we want them or not.
Not the e.u or the government. but us the maltese that are paying the taxes. therefore a referendum should be called forth!!
Now, it's official: Frontex was a failure.
Perhaps the country should investigate re' the possibility of getting a foreign fleet to guard our waters, since we ourselves are unable to control our seas and the EU is so disinterested in what is happening here in Malta.