MEPs
rejected proposed amendments to Frontex which were approved by the
European Commission and Council representatives, but strongly opposed
by Malta.
[di-ve.com] In particular, Malta opposed a rule which
would see rescued migrants being taken to the country hosting the
Frontex mission, rather than the nearest safe harbour as is the present
case. The issue has led to disputes between Malta and Italy over the
eventual destination of rescued migrants last year.
In the debate preceding the vote at the European Parliament’s Civil
Liberties Committee, British Labour MEP Michael Cashman, acting as
rapporteur, said that the measure would “bring a sense of certainty” to
member states’ obligation. He said that what had to be avoided was a
repeat of last year’s situation where “2 member states did not want to
deal” with possible asylum requests, Mr Cashman said, in an indirect
reference to the Malta-Italy dispute.
The proposed text would mean that “the legal obligation to search and
rescue will become something that member states can no longer shirk,”
Mr Cashman added.
Malta’s criticism was echoed by Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil, who
condemned “the suggestion that without those rules, southern member
states are putting people’s lives at risk.”
“This is deeply offensive,” Dr Busuttil added.
However, most of the opposition was due to the fact that the amendments
were guidelines, and not legally binding. Green, liberal, and leftist
MEPs complained that while they shared Mr Cashman’s concerns, they
would prefer binding provisions.
In the end, a resolution rejecting the measure – put forward by Dr
Busuttil – was approved with 24 votes in favour and 11 against. As a
result, Mr Cashman withdrew his name as rapporteur.
Many within the EP have repeatedly called for more parliamentary
scrutiny over Frontex’s activities, with watchdogs criticising its
procedures as abusive with regards to migrants. The Parliament is also
examining a proposal to train Frontex agents in fundamental rights.
Source: http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=43&Action=1&NewsId=70610
