Report to the EU Parliament on #Frontex cooperation with third countries in 2017
A recent report by Frontex, the EU’s border agency, highlights the ongoing expansion of its activities with non-EU states.
The report covers the agency’s cooperation with non-EU states (‘third countries’) in 2017, although it was only published this month.
See: Report to the European Parliament on Frontex cooperation with third countries in 2017: ▻http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/feb/frontex-report-ep-third-countries-coop-2017.pdf (pdf)
It notes the adoption by Frontex of an #International_Cooperation_Strategy 2018-2020, ‘an integral part of our multi-annual programme’ which:
‘guides the Agency’s interactions with third countries and international organisations… The Strategy identified the following priority regions with which Frontex strives for closer cooperation: the Western Balkans, Turkey, North and West Africa, Sub-Saharan countries and the Horn of Africa.’
The Strategy can be found in Annex XIII to the 2018-20 Programming Document: ▻http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/feb/frontex-programming-document-2018-20.pdf (pdf).
The 2017 report on cooperation with third countries further notes that Frontex is in dialogue with Senegal, #Niger and Guinea with the aim of signing Working Agreements at some point in the future.
The agency deployed three Frontex #Liaison_Officers in 2017 - to Niger, Serbia and Turkey - while there was also a #European_Return_Liaison_Officer deployed to #Ghana in 2018.
The report boasts of assisting the Commission in implementing informal agreements on return (as opposed to democratically-approved readmission agreements):
“For instance, we contributed to the development of the Standard Operating Procedures with #Bangladesh and the ‘Good Practices for the Implementation of Return-Related Activities with the Republic of Guinea’, all forming important elements of the EU return policy that was being developed and consolidated throughout 2017.”
At the same time:
‘The implementation of 341 Frontex coordinated and co-financed return operations by charter flights and returning 14 189 third-country nationals meant an increase in the number of return operations by 47% and increase of third-country nationals returned by 33% compared to 2016.’
Those return operations included Frontex’s:
‘first joint return operation to #Afghanistan. The operation was organised by Hungary, with Belgium and Slovenia as participating Member States, and returned a total of 22 third country nationals to Afghanistan. In order to make this operation a success, the participating Member States and Frontex needed a coordinated support of the European Commission as well as the EU Delegation and the European Return Liaison Officers Network in Afghanistan.’
▻http://www.statewatch.org/news/2019/feb/frontex-report-third-countries.htm
#externalisation #asile #migrations #réfugiés #frontières #contrôles_frontaliers
#Balkans #Turquie #Afrique_de_l'Ouest #Afrique_du_Nord #Afrique_sub-saharienne #Corne_de_l'Afrique #Guinée #Sénégal #Serbie #officiers_de_liaison #renvois #expulsions #accords_de_réadmission #machine_à_expulsion #Hongrie #Belgique #Slovénie #réfugiés_afghans
