Europe has a major influx of illegal immigrants every year, while many also die while making the journey from the African continent. The "Frontex" agency is supposed to patrol EU borders, but is it working?
https://p.dw.com/p/BETL
Many illegal immigrants are sent back homeImage: picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb
Advertisement
Warsame Ali Garare, a 28-year-old Somali language teacher, is one of thousands of Africans who have experienced first-hand the terrifying journey made by would-be immigrants who end up in Malta while on their way to the European continent.
He arrived in the Mediterranean island four years ago after the engine of his rickety boat stalled, leaving its occupants sucking sugar cubes for survival as they ran out of water.
But despite the terrible ordeal he, like many of his compatriots, would repeat the same voyage with or without the presence of Frontex, the new European Union border agency set up to stop the endless flow of would-be immigrants who enter the Union illegally each year.
"What's pushing all these immigrants to leave for Europe is far bigger than any barriers that the EU is putting up," says Warsame, who now works as a translator in Malta.
A shortage of vessels The journey from Africa is dangerous; many perish along the wayImage: picture-alliance/ dpa/dpaweb Plagued by a shortage of naval and air assets, the Frontex patrol missions in the Central Mediterranean have had a stuttered start and have been enjoying mixed results over the past two weeks.
Frontex director Ilkka Laitinen says four boats with a total of 99 immigrants on board had been stopped by Frontex vessels until the first week of July.
However, three of the boats decided to venture to Malta anyway and the fourth continued to Lampedusa.
Laitinen admitted that rescuers were essentially dealing with complicated rules of the sea, with the problems compounded by a lack of cooperation from Libya, from where most of the immigrants depart.
"We tell the migrants that the best thing for them is to turn round and go back to where they came from because there is no future for them in Europe," Laitinen said.
"If they insist on continuing their route, they just do it. And if we are in international waters, it is not legal to escort them back to Libya," Laitinen told Maltese media.
Legal loopholes
Border agents from various countries work togetherImage: APIn a recent report to the European parliament, the United Nations Refugee Agency -- the UNHCR -- also pointed to gaps in the legal framework and a lack of cooperation among EU states as reasons why up to 120,000 migrants are able to cross the Mediterranean Sea and enter the EU illegally each year.
Apart from two patrol boats dispatched by Malta, two German helicopters and a Greek vessel, other participating member states such as Italy and Spain have only provided a token contribution to Frontex operations.
Germany helping out
Only Germany has given an indication of wishing to help with Malta's "burden sharing" proposal, with the biggest EU state saying it would assume responsibility for illegal migrant survivors picked up by its two helicopters during the patrols.
Libya has backed out of the arrangement and is barring any Frontex vessels from entering its waters. A Frontex agent checks a passport at Frankfurt AirportImage: AP Critics say that given the reluctance by many EU member states to chip in and do their part, it is no surprise that the influx of illegal immigration continues unabated, often with tragic consequences.
In the latest episode, around 11 would-be African migrants were believed to have drowned off the coast of Malta, it was reported Saturday.
Survivors said their fellow travellers had perished when their boat overturned in rough seas.
Flow has apparently dropped
Yet, despite the evident problems faced by the new border mission, EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini argues that the flow has dropped by 40 percent since the start of the patrols.
Addressing reporters in Malta, Frattini said the operation was dissuading human trafficking, so much so that he was informed that the market price to make the trip had plummeted from 1,000 to 250 dollars since the week prior to the Frontex mission.
"The traffickers watch Italian and Maltese television so they knew about the start of Frontex operations in the Mediterranean," the commissioner said after attending a demonstration of Frontex operations on board a Maltese vessel in choppy seas whipped up by force six winds.
Frattini is determined to build up the Frontex operation, announcing that the patrols will become a permanent presence in the Mediterranean from January.
