Brussels, 03/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Commissioner for Immigration Franco Frattini announced on Wednesday that the European Border Agency (Frontex) will make its operations off the coast of West Africa permanent, in an effort to prevent the arrival of illegal immigrants in the Spanish Canary Islands in the Atlantic. In a public address to the European Parliament's legal affairs committee, Frattini declared that the “Canary Island mission will be a permanent one”. It will be up to the Frontex managing committee to provide a ruling on the matter. According to the commissioner, the final decision will be made before the summer holidays. Frontex launched the new Hera III operation in February and has decided to abandon the numbering system and bring everything together under Hera 2007. A Frontex press release recently indicated that “Frontex will act in intervals reacting flexibly during the year 2007 - depending on risk analysis outcomes and operational assessments, the presence of the EU forces will be reinforced or reduced”. The first stage of the new Hera 2007 operation will include Spanish and Italian maritime and aviation resources and the sending of French, German and Italian experts to the Canaries for the hearing and identification of illegal immigrants. Frontex has released €1.5million for these objectives. Frontex will focus on the organisation of joint patrols in the Atlantic in cooperation with Mauritania, Senegal and Cape Verde in an effort to dissuade potential migrants attempting the dangerous crossing to the Canaries. (bc)