Rescued immigrants to disembark at the 'closest safe port'
Frontex will cover all the expenses related to this year's mission
Illegal immigrants rescued by the EU's sea patrols will be disembarked at the nearest safe port when the Frontex missions finally get underway this week, The Sunday Times has learnt.
After months of disagreement that delayed this year's operation, the patrols off the coast of Malta are due to begin after Italy and Malta resolved their differences over the rules of engagement.
The so-called Nautilus IV mission was due to start last month but had to be postponed due to disagreement between Malta and Italy over who is responsible for hosting illegal immigrants picked up at sea.
Following intense negotiations held at the EU agency's headquarters in Warsaw last week, agreement was reached and the €10 million mission is now ready to start. Frontex will cover all the expenses related to this year's mission.
A senior Commission official said: "--The rules of engagement agreed upon dictate that the assets involved in this year's mission will have to respect the rules of the mission's host country."
This means that all illegal immigrants encountered by Frontex will be coordinated by Malta and disembarked at the closest safe port - in line with the international conventions which Malta is party to.
The mission will be held outside Malta's vast search and rescue area and will serve as additional help to southern Mediterranean countries in the fight against human trafficking.
Malta's maritime squadron will be taking part in the mission. Germany will be deploying two helicopters while Luxembourg will be dispatching an aircraft.
The other two member states participating in the mission, Italy and Finland, will be deploying experts to Malta.
This year's mission should also be beefed up through the launch of joint patrols between Italy and Libya, scheduled to start next month, monitoring the north African country's territorial waters. According to Italy's Home Affairs Minister, Roberto Maroni, this mission will stop illegal immigrants reaching Italy from Libyan shores by the summer.
In recent months, Italy has tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent illegal immigrants from landing on Lampedusa but hundreds departing from Libya still reached the island on rickety boats.
Lampedusa is the closest European territory to Libya and immigrants and traffickers see the island as a stepping stone to mainland Europe. In order to try to close off this route, the Italian authorities said the island was no longer safe as its reception and detention centres were full.
Malta objected to the new policy, directed by Mr Maroni, and stood its ground recently after over 140 immigrants were rescued by the Turkish cargo ship, Pinar E, just 40 miles away from Lampedusa. After a diplomatic stand-off, the immigrants were eventually allowed to land in Sicily by the Italian government.
In an interview with The Sunday Times today, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici lambasts Frontex, saying that it lacks a Mediterranean vision.