Brussels, 22/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Hermes mission by EU agency Frontex started on Sunday 20 February and will continue until 31 March. It brings together 30 experts, 4 planes, 2 helicopters and 2 ships, explained Michele Cercone, a spokesperson for EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, on Monday 22 February. Italy is providing the ships and 10 other member states are also involved with planes from Italy, Germany, France, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain, which have also sent experts (along with Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Romania, Portugal and Switzerland). The spokesperson explained on Tuesday that the cost of the operation to date was €2 million.
On Monday 21 February, Frontex explained that its experts will be helping Italy deal with immigrants, identifying their nationality and helping repatriate illegal immigrants not entitled to international protection. The mission meets the needs expressed by Italy, said Cercone, explaining that it will also monitor borders and that Frontex has explained that it is in fact an earlier start of another operation already planned for the Mediterranean in the summer. Cercone said that that did not mean that there won't be anything in the summer (as some commentators have been suggesting) but that it would be a longer operation than initially planned. Frontex explains that Hermes might be extended if necessary. Frontex will refund all the costs generated by the operation to the member states, said Cercone on Tuesday.
Over the past three days, nearly 200 Tunisians have arrived on Italy's shoreline, along with 43 immigrants on Tuesday morning. The other great concern of Italy's, namely the impact of the events in Libya, has not resulted in any influx of arrivals from that country as yet, explained Cercone, adding that the situation was unpredictable. Frontex will be asked by the Thursday 24 February EU home affairs ministers' meeting to assess the situation and future scenarios. (S.P./transl.fl)