On Wednesday 28 February, in publishing the results of an inquiry into Frontex’s role in search and rescue operations, the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, found that the current rules “leave the agency unable fully to fulfil its fundamental rights obligations and too reliant on Member States to act when boats carrying migrants are in distress”.
The inquiry was launched after the Adriana tragedy in June 2023, which resulted in the drowning of more than 600 people off the Greek...