Frontex, the EU agency based in Warsaw, was created as a specialised and independent body tasked to coordinate the operational cooperation between Member States in the field of border security. The activities of Frontex are intelligence driven. Frontex complements and provides particular added value to the national border management systems of the Member States.
The Article 19th of the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU” prohibits collective deportations, and the re-admission of a foreign national in a third country where he risks torture, and also the “International Convention against Torture” of the United Nations, and the 1951 Un “Geneva Convention” for refugees prohibited it. The European Court of Human Rights, supported by the Euro-parliament on May 10th 2005, condemned Italy and ordered the suspension of collective deportations from Lampedusa, after more than 1,500 migrants landed on the island were postponed in Libya. Three years ago, collective deportations were indicated as illegal by one of the highest EU institutions, in the name of international law. Today, collective deportations are the stated aim of the EU agency for the border security, Frontex.
The joint operations carried out by Frontex in 2007 were 22, and the number of apprehended third country nationals were 19,295, including 11,476 intercepted at sea borders, 4,522 at land borders, and 3,297 in the airports. In 2006, as a result of Frontex patrols, 32,016 migrants were arrested. Frontex is actually patrolling all the EU frontiers with aerial, naval and land operations. We know and we wrote about missions as Nautilus in the Strait of Sicily; Hera, off Canary; Indalo in the Strait of Gibraltar; and Poseidon in the Aegean. But the complete list is longer, and it is contained in an exclusive Frontex official document published by Fortress Europe. The list talks about a mission called Minerva, in the Andalusian ports; Hermes, between Sardinia and the Balearic Islands, near the Algerian waters; Zeus, in German ports; Fifa, in Germany during the period of World Cup 2006; Niris between Germany and Scandinavian countries against Chinese immigration, and then Ariane between Germany and Poland; Gordius, in Romania, Slovakia and Hungary; Herakles in Hungary; Kras and Drive In in Slovenia; Ursus in Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland . And for the 2008 European Cup in Austria and Switzerland, Frontex is already preparing a mission called Euro Cup 2008. Not to mention the many Frontex operations in the airports all around Europe, such as Amazon, Agelaus, Hydra, Extended Family, Long Stop, Argonauts. And not to mention the training programs, ranging from the joint return to the detection of stolen cars or even to the training for dog handlers. And it’s sure they can do better in 2008, as the budget of the agency has been doubled to 30 million euros.
Nothing to wonder about anyway, seen that EU has made of confinement for migrants its rule. According to an article recently published by the “International Herald Tribune”, there are now 224 migrants detention camps scattered across the European Union; altogether they can house more than 30,000 people, asylum seekers and immigrants without residence permit awaiting deportation. The map of the camps looks like a military map. The maximum length of detention is 60 days in Italy, 32 in France, three months in Greece, 18 months in Malta, while in many other Countries, there is no upper limit. The conditions are awful and the centres are subject to riots, arson attacks and suicides. The last victim was a Tunisian, born in 1979, which hanged himself on December 30th 2007 in the Berlin Koepenick detention camp. In Italy, two men killed themselves just three months ago, in October, in the Modena camp. And someone will remember the Iranian inmates of the Greek camp on the island of Samos, who sewed up their lips with wire in sign of protest in 2006. The Dutch Ngo “United” published a death list with hundreds of similar cases across Europe.
On December 21st 2007, the Schengen area enlarged towards east, incorporating Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary. That means the belt that separates the EU from Belarus and Ukraine, from where transit thousands of migrants and refugees from the former Soviet republics, Asia and the Middle East. The border between Slovakia and Ukraine is long 97.8 km. In order to enter in the Schengen area, Slovakia had to build a virtual wall between the two countries. 250 mobile cameras, night viewers, GPS, heat detectors, infrared, x-ray and patrol jeep. The system costs 50 millions, financed with EU funds. Along this border 25,539 migrants were arrested in 2004 and 32,756 in 2005. Their destiny is the readmission in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly denounced readmission agreements between the countries of Eastern Europe and Ukraine, expressing particular concern about the repatriation of refugees from Ukraine to Chechnya and Uzbekistan. And a recent report released by the Jesuit Refugee Service denounces the conditions of detention camps in the 10 new EU Member States. Brussels knows these reports, but has already signed a readmission agreement with Kiev, on June 18th 2007, which is expected to enter into force very soon.
Gabriele del Grande
Roma - Italia
