The EU should dismiss Frontex’s head and not resign him

The EU should dismiss Frontex’s head and not resign him

Eurocrat

If Regeri was acting within his mission-as he said-the EU government would become an accomplice to illegal pushbacks, leaving refugees in the sea.

The resignation of the head of the EU Border and Coast Guard Frontex last week seemed to be a pledge that the European government was at risk of complicity with illegal acts such as drifting people into the sea and other human rights abuses.

The 54-year-old Frenchman Fabris Leggeri has led the agency since 2015, just months before Europe’s worst post-war refugee crisis. Without paying attention to the rules.

It was probably a bureaucratic dream. The crisis has given Frontex more access to staff, resources, and power than ever before. But while that was happening, Regeri was under increasing pressure on allegations of misconduct.

Last July, the EU’s Office for Fraud Prevention (OLAF) began investigating Frontex. In particular, it is determined to continue to close Europe’s outer borders at all costs, even if it means endangering life. When OLAF confronted Regeri in his early discoveries, he quit for fear of disciplinary action.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian, “The mission of Frontex, elected and updated in June 2019, seems to have changed quietly but effectively. Then quoted.

The quote (Eurocrat himself could not confirm) shows that Regeri felt within the scope of his mission to act as he did. In that view, if OLAF discovers that Frontext’s agents are infringing on human rights, the EU government (all represented by Frontext’s governing board) will be an accomplice.

This is not surprising. OLAF continues to obscure the findings as investigations that may have legal implications are underway. But the accusations against Frontex are nothing new. The EU Ombudsman, the European Parliament, and even the European Commission have investigated Frontext after repeated allegations of illegal activity in the international media.

Regeri’s letter was dated the same day the media released new evidence of misconduct by the authorities, and Frontex asylum of at least 957 people in the Aegean Sea between March 2020 and September 2021. He claims to have been involved in the illegal pushback of the applicant. It remained drifting in the sea.

Too little, too late

Others investigating Frontex have consistently found evidence of fraud with authorities. The United Nations has strongly criticized pushback, but the Commission has accused Regeri of lying to the European Parliament when faced with the results of another investigation.

The Commission also stated that he did not do enough to internally investigate allegations of human rights abuses. Still, nothing happened. The EU should never have allowed Regeri to resign, but he should have fired him. Instead, hardliners against immigrants supported him.

The only thing that all EU countries seem to agree on when dealing with migration is to keep closing external borders. EU immigration reform has been postponed for a long time. At this point, we are at the expense of human rights and deliberate respect for the law.

The fact that people have been consistently abused under EU surveillance is shameful, especially on the continent, which praises its position as a leader in humanitarian values. Humans should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their place of origin. Especially when escaping from war and persecution.

Regeri’s resignation is a blow to EU immigration policy, but it is also an opportunity. With respect to Frontext, the EU must be transparent and responsible. Anyone who takes over the job needs to ensure that the EU is not willing to violate basic human rights when defending its borders.

What Eurocrat also pays attention to:

Energy will be an important issue on the EU agenda this week. On Monday, ministers will discuss whether to ban oil imports from Russia. Germany, long thought to be close to Russia, is heading in favor of the bid, but unanimity is needed and Hungary has already voted against it.

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