Big majority for more effective Frontex

The report was approved by 43 votes in favour and just 7 votes against. In all the committee voted on 290 amendments.

The vote comes at a time when the role of Frontex is back in the headlines as the prospect of a new wave of mass migratory movements towards Europe increases.

In today’s report, MEPs endorsed the proposal by rapporteur Simon Busuttil to establish an EU Border Guard System and to substantially increase the human and technical resources of the agency to cope with growing migration challenges.

One of the most contentious issues related to the concerns on the respect of the human rights of migrants by Frontex. The committee endorsed proposals to tighten the agency’s obligations on human rights and to suspend Frontex missions that violate human rights.

Busuttil’s proposals establish a Human Rights Advisory Board within the agency; creates a pool of national border guards that can be tapped by the Agency for the purposes of its joint operations, rapid border intervention missions and pilot projects; equip the Agency with the means to purchase or lease its own equipment;

The report mandates the Agency to pay special attention to Member States which are facing specific and disproportionate burdens on their national asylum systems; tightens the timeframes within which rapid border intervention missions should be deployed; grant power to process personal data to combat cross-border crime and irregular migration; and increase the democratic scrutiny of the Agency by giving the European Parliament a greater role to monitor the work of the Agency.

Welcoming the result, rapporteur Simon Busuttil said:“Today’s vote has delivered a big majority for a stronger Frontex. We have long criticised the agency’s lack of effectiveness. Now we are doing something about it,” he said.

Today’s vote gives Busuttil the mandate to enter into negotiations with the Council of Ministers since agreement on this law requires the consent of both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

Simon Busuttil is the EPP’s coordinator in the Civil Liberties Committee.