Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The agency aims to coordinate and develop European border management in line with the EU fundamental rights charter. It also helps to harmonize border controls across the EU.
But it has increasingly come under close scrutiny on multiple fronts.
Now, a report on the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF has cast fresh doubt on its long-term future.
It has been claimed severe human rights violations including violent pushbacks by Greek authorities were covered up by Frontex.
The report, published by the German weekly “Der Spiegel”, claims that the agency has been systematically involved in human rights violations and their cover-up at the EU borders.
The Left Group in the European Parliament has subsequently requested a point on the topic to be added to the agenda of the plenary session of the European Parliament this week in presence of the EU Commission and the Council.
With a budget of €754 million in 2022, Frontex is said to be the most heavily funded agency in the EU.
The report speaks of “serious misconduct”, “lack of fiduciary duty”, and “failure of leadership”.
According to the text, Frontex’s top management not only ignored indications of human rights violations, they were also complicit.
A statement by Left MEPs says the former head of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, and his team “gave instructions to look the other way in order not to witness pushbacks, and they covered up the illegal practices by Greek border officials.”
It goes on, “The report relentlessly exposes how Greek border guards in the Aegean Sea abandon refugees at sea on inflatable life rafts so that they cannot exercise their right to apply for asylum. Information has been withheld from the agency’s own Fundamental Rights Officer.”
The statement states, “To cover up human rights violations, aerial surveillance was suspended. Frontex staff circumvented the use of Serious Incident Reports documenting pushbacks to avoid any paper trail of violations.”
The comment came from German GUE MEP Cornelia Ernst who said, “Frontex is systematically involved in human rights violations and their cover-up at the EU’s external borders.
“No one can claim something else after reading the OLAF report. That is why the Members of the European Parliament must vote next week not to grant discharge to Frontex. I expect my colleagues from all groups to take their democratic responsibility seriously. Voting to not grant discharge is the only plausible position for anyone who takes human rights seriously. The European Parliament must not become an accomplice to an agency that has been completely out of control for years.”
The European Parliament will vote on Tuesday (18 October) on the discharge of the 2020 budget for Frontex. Left MEPs say they will vote to not grant a discharge.
No one from the agency was immediately available for comment.
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