The words of the spokesperson
Sea patrols and border controls are not enough in the face of an epochal migratory phenomenon. There are many urgent issues: “political stabilization and the economic development of the countries of origin, the dismantling of traffickers’ networks, the opening of legal channels allowing refugees to arrive in Europe safely, without being forced into the hands of traffickers” . The role of the European agency, the latest controversy on non-governmental organizations.
“The situation in the Mediterranean remains very difficult. Since the beginning of 2017, 36,000 people have arrived into Italy from Libya: a 42% increase compared to the same period last year ”
Izabella Cooper, Spokesperson of Frontex, the European agency for border and coastal management, told SIR. The migration emergency is still very high and there is no “simple solution”. In the face of an epochal challenge, political determination, collaboration, increased resources, are needed on a European scale. “Focusing on border control alone does not solve” the migratory problem, because – Cooper said – “it’s but a piece of a larger puzzle” that involves factors such as “the political stabilization and economic development of the countries of origin, dismantling the networks of traffickers in transit countries, and opening legal channels to enable refugees to arrive safely and legally into Europe, without having to put themselves in the hands of the traffickers. ” According to Europol estimates, in 2015 886thousand arrivals were registered in Greece and of 170 thousand in Italy, traffickers reaped a profit of 4 to 6 billion Euros. This explains the cry of alarm from Warsaw, where the European agency is headquartered.
Means, agents and hotspots. Frontex’s mandate, established by the European Council, is to “fight against transnational organized crime (human trafficking, smuggling, terrorism and foreign fighters). We do so by collecting data on the traffickers activities”, operating under the command of EU Ministries of Interior, and then transmitting” the collected information to State Police “with daily intelligence – hence confidential – reports.
To do this, Frontex coordinates operation Triton, whose assets consist in 11 ships, 2 helicopters, 3 planes and 350 coastal and border guards.
Triton covers flows from Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, up to Albania. Frontex officers then work with Italian authorities in the hotspots for the registration and identification of persons, in conjunction with agents specialized in the identification of the victims of trafficking. Nigerian women trafficked for exploitation into prostitution is a scourge of the Mediterranean sea.
Everyone’s responsibility. As part of the surveillance dimension (at sea and in the hotspots), Cooper explained, “we support Italian authorities in border patrols and in search and rescue operations. In 2016 Frontex interventions saved over 90,000 people in Italy and Greece.” This is because
“saving human lives is an international responsibility and an explicit mandate of our agency.”
Moreover, “it is a duty of whoever is at sea: whether a private ship, a ferry, or a commercial, military, or a fishing vessel, everyone has the duty of rescuing human lives. ” Rescue operations are coordinated in Italy by the Coast Guard, “which decides which resources should be diverted in the case of a vessel in distress. So if we respond, in the rescue phase we pass from the command of the ministry to that of the Coast Guard.”
A different trend. Hence NGOs don’t automatically cooperate with Frontex, which, however, considers indispensable, the spokesperson remarked, that “all those involved in the rescue operations stamp out traffickers’ networks, sharing any piece information on the activities of Libyan traffickers that could be of interest to the State Police, in order to help complete the picture.” Cooper pointed out:
“We have never accused NGOs of collusion. I want this to be clear. We only noticed a new trend regarding the traffickers’ activities compared to a couple of years ago.”
The rescue area has now become the border with Libyan territorial waters because the vessels have enough fuel only to get so far. The quality of the dinghies has deteriorated, and while in 2014 they transported some 90 people, for the past months they have been carrying up to 160-170.” The dinghies are small, some ten meters long, meant to carry no more than 10 to 15 people. “The traffickers – Cooper pointed out – draw advantage from the obligation imposed by those at sea to save human lives in danger. There ensues that Libyan traffickers are the ones that must be held accountable; it is an absolute priority. Measures should be taken in this direction, and all those operating at sea can do so.” In order to save human lives, added the Frontex spokesperson, “we lack the amount of vessels needed to ensure the security of Mediterranean waters, covering an area of 2.5 square kilometers.”
Necessary cooperation. NGO figures show that in 2017 they conducted 28% of rescue operations in the Mediterranean. Does Frontex cooperate with the NGOs ? “We meet all those operating in the Mediterranean”, replied the spokesperson, “dialogue is important. We had a meeting with them a couple of weeks ago. We are open and we work with them in various hotspots.”
Cooper finally pointed out: “Saving human lives is essential; there is no question about this. However, it’s important to focus attention on the traffickers.”
