Frontex helps rescue dozens in the Aegean 2015-09-14 A Frontex-financed Latvian helicopter took part in a large rescue operation off the Greek island of Farmakonisi over the weekend. In total, 99 people were saved after their wooden boat capsized in high winds. Greek forces also recovered 34 bodies, including 15 children. The search and rescue operation is still ongoing.The Latvian helicopter and a Latvian patrol boat, which are both taking part in the Frontex-coordinated Operation Poseidon, also took part in a search for four boys between the ... Read more
Cook 2018-04-05 Meet Jussi, a coast guard officer from Finland, currently working as a cook on the Finnish vessel Merikarhu in operation Poseidon in Greece."My name is Jussi, and I work as a cook on a Finnish vessel with a multinational crew in Greece. I have been here since November.Working on the vessel with a crew coming from all around Europe is a challenge. We have officers from countries such Poland, Bulgaria, Germany and Romania. They all have different tastes, but they tell me they like my cooking. I ... Read more
Fingerprinting and registration expert 2018-03-07 Frontex assists Member States with identifying and registering all persons entering the territory of the EU. Fingerprinting and registration experts support national authorities with taking fingerprints of incoming migrants in order to establish where they entered the EU. The fingerprints are logged in an EU fingerprint database, EURODAC, which is part of the EU’s ‘Dublin system’ for determining which Member State is responsible for examining asylum applications of a specific person. Meet ... Read more
Frontex calls on Member States to deploy more officers to Greece 2016-03-23 Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri has called on EU Member States to come forward with additional police officers and readmission experts to support Greece in returning migrants to Turkey. Following a call for officers issued by Frontex on Friday, 18 March, Member States have so far offered 396 police officers of the 1500 requested. Frontex has also received offers to provide 47 of the 50 readmission experts the agency asked for. “I am grateful to the countries who have offered police ... Read more
Frontex Executive Director signs decision to deploy RABITs 2010-10-26 Warsaw, 26 October – Today, Frontex Executive Director Ilkka Laitinen signed a decision to deploy Rapid Border Intervention Teams to Greece after a request from Greek authorities.“Frontex stands ready to assist Greece by activating the RABIT mechanism in this urgent and exceptional situation in order to augment Greece’s national efforts to deal with this problem” he said. Staff from the newly-opened Frontex Operational Office based in Piraeus have already arrived at the Greek-Turkish border to ... Read more
Frontex seeks 1 500 police officers, 50 readmission officers for Greece 2016-03-21 Frontex has asked EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries to provide 1 500 police officers and 50 return and readmission experts to support Greece in returning migrants to Turkey. Several Member States have already committed to providing additional officers.Over the weekend all involved parties – the European Commission, Greece, all the remaining EU Member States, as well as a number of EU agencies including Frontex, European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Europol – have been ... Read more
Screening expert 2018-01-15 Many people who cross Europe’s external borders irregularly arrive without any identification documents. Others claim false nationality in order to increase their chances of receiving a form of protection in the European Union.Screening experts play a key role in helping national authorities establish the nationality of incoming migrants. This information is used for the identification and registration process that takes place after the screening. Screening experts also identify persons in need ... Read more
Eastern Mediterranean Route Situation in 2021 In 2021, the number of arrivals to the EU via this route was 20 567, staying on the same level with the figures of the previous year. While detections of illegal border crossings continue to drop in Greece, Cyprus experienced significantly stronger migratory pressure compared to previous years as arrivals to its shores doubled to around 12 350 This increase was linked to a higher share of Africans among the detected migrants. Situation in 2020 The number detections of... Read more
Greece asks Frontex for rapid intervention teams in the Aegean islands 2015-12-04 Greece asked Frontex yesterday to launch a Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABIT) mechanism on the Greek islands in the Aegean, where it continues to face massive migratory pressure. Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri has five working days to evaluate the situation and decide whether to activate the RABIT mechanism. The RABIT mechanism provides rapid operational assistance to a requesting member state facing urgent and exceptional migratory pressure at its external borders. If Frontex ... Read more
Interpreter and cultural mediator 2018-01-26 The migrants who arrive in Europe come from many different countries and have different social and educational backgrounds. Not all of them speak English, French, or other European languages. Cultural mediators work as translators within Frontex operations. They provide linguistic support to the local authorities and Frontex experts in order to improve debriefing and screening activities as well as increase the quality of information gathered.Meet Isam, an interpreter and cultural mediator from ... Read more