Frontex opens an internal investigation into “suspicious incidents” at the Greek maritime borders. The announcement comes after several media outlets accused the European Border Guard Agency of being involved in pushbacks from boats carrying migrants in operations in Greece.
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Director Fabrice Leggeri stresses that there is currently no evidence to suggest that Frontex personnel have violated the law or the agency’s code of conduct. “We want to maintain the highest standards of border security in all our operations and do not tolerate violations of fundamental rights in our operations,” he said.
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Leggeri also points out that he had already requested the Greek authorities to investigate two incidents near islands in the east of the Aegean earlier this year. In one file no evidence of illegal activities has been found, the other file has not yet been completed. In addition, he informed the European Parliament about an earlier incident involving a Danish Frontex boat. He had received “incorrect” instructions from the Greek coast guard. “That misunderstanding has been cleared up,” said Leggeri.
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“In violation of international law”
Der Spiegel, ARD and several other media outlets published an investigation last week accusing Frontex of having been directly and indirectly involved in pushbacks by the Greek Coast Guard. These are in violation of international and European law, which obliges member states to give migrants at the border the opportunity to apply for asylum. Individuals cannot be expelled until their situation has been investigated.
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Frontex points out that the agency itself has no mandate to investigate incidents. The officers assist the Greeks with, among other things, border surveillance, sea rescue operations and the registration and identification of incoming migrants, but the leadership remains in the hands of the local authorities. The agency also notes that border surveillance operations are complicated by the dispute between Greece and Turkey over the demarcation of their sea borders.
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