Monday, 6th October 2008
EU member states' assistance is a must if Frontex operations are to succeed
I am carefully following the debate on the Nautilus operation that started some time ago. I can agree with some critics regarding the response to the illegal migration issue but some of them are not entirely acceptable. What is important to focus on in the situation we are today is the relation of border control and migration management in the EU.
It is difficult to agree with opinions suggesting that border control is a panacea to problems of illegal migration, either in Europe or any other place. It is a fact that the migration pressure in the central Mediterranean has been high for a long time, is still high and will remain high as long as the migration issue is not addressed at the source. Border control activities alone will not solve the problem. They must be incorporated into a fully fledged, integrated border control policy and that is the challenge. We should bear in mind what other goals border control has: awareness, preparation of return operations and crime investigation, in all of which the Nautilus operation in Malta and Italy achieved results.
The other day, ministers of justice and home affairs agreed on the content of a so-called "Immigration and Asylum Pact" to be adopted by the European Council.
The pact seeks to find the right balance between stricter migration control and the human rights by developing legal migration management, tightened controls on illegal migration and common asylum policy. In that package, Frontex's small part is to enhance border control capacities by joint operations at the specific border sections.
These capacities have consistently been developed by the strong support of the European Parliament.
Nautilus, taking place in the central Mediterranean, is a good example of enhancing border control. This joint operation with the budget of more than €8 million and the participation of a dozen member states is one of the biggest activities coordinated by Frontex this year. Maritime and aerial means from France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Malta cover surveillance needs, while experts from 11 member states help in investigation. And these are only additional assets to those deployed on a regular basis by Malta and Italy, as border control responsibility lies with member states.
Assessing the prevailing situation by looking at the number of migrants that arrived in Malta and Lampedusa is taking the easy way. The integrated border management is more than simple statistics.
It is about cooperation with third countries, carrying out surveillance activities and criminal investigation as well as returning migrants illegally staying in the EU (all included into the Nautilus operation). When one of these elements cannot be implemented, namely cooperation with Libya, the pressure on border control and return operations increases. It is difficult for an operational coordinator like Frontex to integrate Libyan authorities into a joint operation without the strong political support of other EU actors. Once we receive this support we can act accordingly.
In joint operation Hera, taking place in the territorial waters of Senegal and Mauritania, assets deployed by member states assist these two countries in border control activities.
This cooperation is possible thanks to Spain, which was able to incorporate authorisation on Frontex-coordinated activities into bilateral agreements with Senegal and Mauritania.
After one year, the number of migrants arriving in the Canary Islands dropped by almost 70 per cent.
The political field is an unfamiliar area for Frontex, both from the legal and practical point of view. Therefore, counting on the agency to solve the issue of burden sharing is unrealistic as member states haven't reached a clear consensus on this topic so far.
Aspects present in discussions are search and rescue actions undertaken by means deployed in the framework of the Nautilus operation. I said last year in The Times that the raison d'être of Frontex is not emergency actions. Nevertheless, we will not close our eyes when people are dying at sea. Protection of human life is a hard core of modern civilisation. Saving people in distress is not only a legal issue, it is a moral obligation for all of us.
Search and rescue activities will continue, as Nautilus will. We are still present in the region and we will be present there next year with Nautilus 2009, in which Frontex encourages member states to participate.
Frontex was established to coordinate operational assistance provided to one member state by others. As long as member states are willing to help, Frontex will be there to coordinate. This is how we understand our mission.
Here is a list of experts and assets taking part in Nautilus 2008 joint operations: Belgium - experts; France - experts, one aircraft and one offshore patrol vessel; Germany - experts and two helicopters; Greece - experts; Italy - experts, two aircraft, one helicopter, two coastal patrol vessels and three offshore patrol vessels; Luxembourg - experts and one aircraft; Malta - experts, one aircraft, two coastal patrol vessels and one offshore patrol vessel; Portugal - experts; Romania - experts; Spain - experts and UK - experts.
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Comments
My guess is zero to none. It seems that all the aircraft do is spot the migrants, call the patrol boats and the latter go to pick them up and bring them to..............Malta!
With all due respect to Mr. Laitinen, when is Nautilus/Frontex going to stop the migrants and return them where they came from, Libya? That is the 8 million euro question.
How many traffickers have been arrested? How many ships boarded? How many sea chases and warning or directed shots in what should be a war of attrition with traffickers? Possibly none. That is the statistics we want to hear. And nothing else.
Traffickers still dislodged of their cargo. They will exploit loopholes in the Frontex 'defensive' system (defence, what a joke).
With Frontex, the traffickers are still getting rich over the backs of our fragile country, and probably richer with it. Had their been arrests and seized assets, than at least something has been gained. No one is caring for the moral and legal obligation for Malta.
Can you please give up your "AFFRONTEX" pun ? You keep putting it up everytime. It was lame from the beginning. Now it is outright stale.
For Malta this operation has served no purpose except to exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration because they simply call the AFM and tell them to go and take the immigrants to Malta, despite the fact that it is common knowledge that Malta simply cannot accomodate any more of them due to its small size.
The criminal gangs behind this human trafficking must be rubbing their hands with glee when they hear that Frontex will be operating Nautilus 2009 next summer. Their lucrative illegal activity will no doubt continue to be assisted once again by Frontex!
Now he is telling us that there are eight countries supplying experts and ordnance and yet there seems to be no abatement in the influx of illegal immigrants. He advocates the assistance of the remaining nineteen member States to join in and help persuade Libya to cooperate! It seems that the EU in its entirety is a reluctant negotiator with Libya due to oil interests there and yet it expects Malta to handle the load?
True, FRONTEX when faced with humanitarian situations cannot look the other way and let human beings perish, but can the EU not handle the situation with a bit more vigour and deal with Libya with a bit more persuasion?
The 'voluntary' burden sharing agreement which has yet to be voted on cannot be regarded as a satisfactory measure but rather one small step forward. How much this little step forward will benefit Malta will be known next Summer.
Of course, by then, this agreement will probably be collecting dust somewhere in Strasbourg.
Comparing Hera & Nautilus 2008 statistics August 08:
Hera: 5662 illegal immigrants- 1111 interviews – 116 arrests.
Nautilus: 15500 illegal immigrants – 625 interviews – 11 arrests.
Why are the interviews in the Nautilus operation so much less than Hera?
Does the intelligence gathered from these interviews help to apprehend the facilitators?
These were your comments in September why the change of hearth today?
"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.
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."
While I agree that humanitarian assistance is a priority to those in needs, my main concern is Malta’s precarious situation, which it seems, is at the lowest scale of our EU partners!
As long as there is honey for the taking, the bees will keep coming. Or is it wasps?
Illika, instead of solving the problem AFFRONTEX only exacerbated it since we have received many more ILLEGAL immigrants than when AFFRONTEX was not operating.
As for other member countries not giving assistance, this reflects on why the burden sharing pact is nothing else except a Chamberlain paper.
The crunch remains......Lampedusa ships boat people to mainland Italy.
Canary Islands ships boat people to mainland Spain......& so on.
Where does Malta ship boat people ?