Since what has been called the “migrant crisis”, the influx of Syrian refugees fleeing their country in the midst of war, Europe’s solution for monitoring its borders is called, more than ever, Frontex. This is the name of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, created in 2004. Its missions: patrols, rescues at sea, document checks… The principle of its operation: each country of the European Union deploys police officers for a few months to monitor the borders of member countries that request it.
Accusations of complicity in “pushback”, an illegal practice
To make the external borders of the European Union impassable, the 27 will soon invest 23 million euros. Frontex should see its budget explode: from 544 million euros in 2021, it should reach 900 million in 2027. The agency will be able to hire… 10,000 civil servants within five years. To put on the new blue uniform, they will have to undergo six months of training.
“Complément d’Enquête” was able to film lessons in Avila, Spain, where the local police academy now shares its premises with Frontex students. That day, it’s a course in European law. The fundamental right of any newcomer to European territory to seek asylum is recalled, but the agency is accused of breaking the law by assisting without intervening in “pushbacks”, these illegal refoulements of migrants before they were unable to apply for asylum.
Lack of transparency, agents not always deployed in the right places…
Frontex is also in the sights of the European Court of Auditors, which has dissected its budget and its activities. According to its conclusions, Frontex is “not efficient enough” and suffers from “gaps” in its organization: for example, too many agents in some places, therefore under-utilized staff, an insufficient number elsewhere… The head of the report, Leo Brincat, points out “a total gap between needs and reality, which shows that the deployment of agents had not been well thought out”.
Faced with accusations from the Court of Auditors, Frontex ensures that it is working on the necessary improvements. Its director, Fabrice Leggeri, did not resist the pressure linked to the shortcomings of his agency: he has just resigned. For its part, a few months ago, the European Parliament decided to take action, by temporarily freezing part of the agency’s budget.
Excerpt from “Borders: billions, failures and barbed wire”, a document to be seen in “Complementary investigation” on May 12, 1022.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), “Magazines” section.