Border agency all at sea over shipwrecks

An EU watchdog investigation into a migrant shipwreck that left more than 600 people dead off Greece last June, found that the EU Border Agency, Frontex, is not able to fulfil its mission of preventing migrant disasters at sea. The report mentions repeated calls from Frontex to the Greek rescue and coordination centre which were left unanswered, highlighting the limitations of an agency legally bound by the orders of national authorities. But it also found that Frontex chose not issue a mayday relay on the grounds that the vessel was not in “immediate danger” when first sighted. Frontex is the EU’s largest and best resourced agency. Its mandate is to help guard EU external borders but also to safeguard the rights of migrants who try to cross them. According to investigators, the agency lacks internal rules for responding to shipwrecks, and there is not enough clarity on the division of duties between it and national authorities. Similar observations were made after a migrant shipwreck killed 94 people off the Italian coasts this time last year.