We strongly commend today’s decision by MEPs from the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee to set
up a Working Group, to look into allegations around Frontex’s role in the illegal pushbacks of sea migrants and asylum
seekers, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a statement today.
Today, MEP Tineke Strik, Greens/EFA Coordinator in the LIBE Committee, announced reaching an agreement in the European
Parliament to set up the Frontex Scrutiny Working Group to thoroughly investigate all allegations on violations of
fundamental rights committed by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and draft recommendations.
Earlier this month, Euro-Med Monitor launched an extensive report entitled “Frontex: Accountability Declined” highlights
a pattern of the excessive and alarming autonomy of Frontex, as its budget, role and staff are augmented by the EU
without clear legal boundaries.
The report analyzed 10 incidents where Frontex has contributed to, covered up, thwarted the reporting of, or neglected
serious illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers and migrants at sea by Greece’s coastguards. The report presented a lengthy
detailed argument on how such measures violate International law and the EU charter and principles and underlined the
dangerous consequences of the EU Commission’s inability to hold Frontex accountable.
“The efforts of MEP Strik and her colleagues at the LIBE Committee are a crucial step on the path of ensuring the
agency’s compliance with International Law and EU principles, and defending the rights of refugees and migrants,” said
Dr. Ramy Abdu, Euro-Med Monitor Chairman, “We also encourage the Working Group to investigate Frontex’s contracts with
Israeli companies to import “field-tested” predator drones to monitor sea migrants. Drones whose value was demonstrated
by their use in the course of oppressing the Palestinian people and occupying their territory.”
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stresses the need to hold Frontex, as well as Greece, accountable for their
pushbacks and other violations committed at the European external borders; to impose more stringent transparency and
accountability measures over Frontex’s practices; to ensure that Frontex activities fully respect international human
rights and refugee law, as well as the law of the sea; and to quickly put in place an independent monitoring mechanism.