Brussels, 23/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday evening of 22 June, the European Council and Parliament reached a compromise on the revised Frontex regulation. This agency is responsible for the cooperation and management of the EU's external borders. The compromise was welcomed by the EU27 meeting in Brussels on Thursday the 23 June and Friday 24 June to discuss migration questions and the future of the Schengen area.
The compromise is expected to be formally adopted by the European civil liberties committee in July and then in September during the plenary committee. The Frontex agency will be given additional capacity: it will, for example, be able to hire its own equipment, such as ships and helicopters, when it is obliged to request equipment from member states or can purchase this equipment with a given member state. Frontex will also be able to co-pilot operations carried out with member states where the operations are taking place. The agency's operational plans will also in the future be better defined, with more details about burden sharing and respective responsibilities on command and incident notification.
In compliance with the wishes of the Parliament, provisions on fundamental rights have also been strengthened: an official for fundamental rights will therefore be appointed within Frontex. The official's remit will involve ensuring that agency operations respect international protection criteria, for example, for intercepted persons who can benefit from the non-repatriation principle. A “fundamental rights consultation forum” will also be set up.
A press release explains that another point contained in the compromise involves the protection of personal data and the agency being allowed to transmit personal data of intercepted persons to Europol or the other competent European authorities when a given individual is suspected of being involved in cross-border criminal activities, illegal immigration networks, trafficking in human beings etc. With regard to what can be described as return operations, namely the repatriation of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin, Frontex will also be playing a greater coordination role. Finally, Frontex will also be able to cooperate more easily with third countries and negotiate agreements or operations with them directly. This compromise was welcomed by European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström, who explained in a press release that the compromise would improve the EU's external border management, as has been repeatedly requested by the EU27 over recent months, following events in Tunisia and Libya. The commissioner also welcomed the fact that under the provisions in the compromise, there was a guarantee that “all operations would take place in full respect of fundamental rights”. (S.P./transl.fl)