Brussels, 18/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos launched the JOT (Joint Operational Team) Mare intelligence centre, hosted by Europol in The Hague, on Tuesday 17 March. JOT Mare is a joint operation team dedicated to identifying and tracking people smuggling networks operating in the Mediterranean.
“This dedicated maritime intelligence centre, hosted and supported by Europol, has great potential: it will reinforce our actions against smugglers; against the ruthless criminals who facilitate irregular migration to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea”, stated Avramopoulos at a press briefing with Europol Director Rob Wainwright in The Hague. “We all know that today's situation in the Mediterranean is particularly worrying. We are confronted with an unprecedented increase of people embarking on dangerous journeys to escape wars, seeking international protection or simply looking for a better life”, he added.
More than 220,000 migrants entered Europe in 2014 compared to 60,000 in 2013, the commissioner pointed out. And in 2014 more than 3,000 deaths were recorded, while in 2015 there have already been more than 1,000 deaths.
The JOT Mare intelligence unit will work closely with the Frontex agency which, within the framework of the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR), is currently monitoring several third-country ports and about a dozen large vessels in the Mediterranean Sea, which might be used for smuggling migrants, Avramopoulos said. It will also work with Interpol. Thirteen member states - Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom - are participating directly in JOT Mare.
Close cooperation between border guard and police authorities inside the member states, as well as with Europol, Frontex and Interpol, will be the key for the success of this operation. JOT Mare will gather and redistribute relevant information on trafficking and analyse the various pieces of intelligence supplied by participating member states. (Solenn Paulic)