EU Border Agency considers withdrawing from Greece over migrant abuses
The human rights chief of the European Union’s border agency said last week it could suspend operations in Greece over chronic violations of migrants’ rights, potentially withdrawing dozens of border guards, ships and planes from a key gateway to Europe.
The assessment, which was also made in an internal report obtained by The New York Times, came days after one of the most devastating migrant shipwrecks in the Mediterranean in the decade, a case not covered in the EU report because it was so recent.
That disaster has raised new questions about the actions of the Greek authorities, including whether they did enough to help the boat while it was in distress.
The report by EU official Jonas Grimheden puts further pressure on Greece over its migrant policies. Mr Grimheden cited the agency’s internal rules and several cases that illustrated what he called the unlawful treatment of asylum seekers and migrants by the Greek authorities.
One case was the subject of an investigation in May by The Times, which found that the Greek Coast Guard had rounded up and abandoned 12 asylum seekers, including women, children and a six-month-old baby, on a raft in the Aegean Sea.
Mr Grimheden told the agency’s board that its own investigation showed the findings were correct and that the event was in breach of EU and international law, according to a written summary from a European Parliament official present at the meeting .
In a confidential report to the head of the Border Service, Mr. Grimheden the board of directors on “possible steps to address the issue of the activities of the border service in Greece, with regard to Article 46”, which stipulates that one must withdraw for violations of fundamental rights.
But reflecting the complex realities of working at one of Europe’s most important gateways, in another part of the report he also recommended that the agency increase its presence and involvement to prevent further abuse.
According to the European Parliament representative’s summary, Mr Grimheden urged “the strongest possible measures” to bring Greece “in line with national, EU and international law”, and explicitly mentioned the suspension of operations in the country.
Mr Grimheden’s recommendations are non-binding and subject to approval by EU governments and the European Commission.
The report, previously reported by Le Mondewas delivered days after the shipwreck in the Mediterranean on 14 June. The disaster, which killed as many as 650 people, has left the EU agency, Frontex and Greek officials debating where to put the blame.
The crew of a Frontex aircraft spotted the boat about 14 hours before it sank. The agency said in a statement it had shared footage with Greek authorities to warn them of the boat’s precarious condition.
The Greek coastguard said smugglers on the boat, which had left Libya days earlier, refused help and panic on board caused the boat to capsize. Several survivors stated that it sank when the coastguard tried to tow it, a claim Greek authorities have denied.
A Greek Coast Guard vessel with the help of a superyacht in the area rescued about 100 people, and as reports of survivors emerged, pressure mounted on politicians to find a culprit. Both Frontex and the Greek authorities have announced separate investigations.
Greek officials have consistently denied allegations of migrant rights violations, saying their migration policies are “tough but fair”.
Mr Grimheden declined to comment on last week’s report and Frontex said it could not comment on board meetings because they are not public.
Frontex has a delicate mission: to help guard the external borders of the European Union while upholding the rights of newcomers, including to apply for asylum. It supports border countries such as Greece by deploying guards from all over Europe and providing helicopters, boats, drones and other equipment.
European migration policy has hardened considerably in recent years following the arrival of more than a million refugees, mainly from Syria, from 2015 to 2016. The migration fueled the campaigns of populist, far-right parties across the European Union and contributed to a shift in mainstream EU politics to the right.
On Sunday, Greeks re-elected the conservative New Democracy party, expressing confidence in Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a leading proponent of hard-line migration policies.
As fears of migration have grown across the bloc, so has Frontex, which is now the bloc’s best-funded agency.
Frontex is also accused of overlooking, covering up and even participating in human rights violations. Last year, its executive director resigned over allegations of harassment, mismanagement and rights violations, and the agency pledged reforms under new leadership.
But the alleged violations of rights in Greece demonstrate the complexity of the task.
Mr Grimheden has repeatedly recommended that Frontex suspend operations in Greece, saying in previous reports that he had “credible reports” of Greek authorities deporting migrants by land and sea, separating children from their parents and placing migrants on a ” humiliating” manner.
Instead of interrupting operations, Frontex set up a joint “working group” with Greece.
Months later, Mr Grimheden said in the latest report: “Basically nothing seems to have changed with regard to the practices of the Greek authorities.”