Frontex coordinated joint operations Hera I and Hera II to tackle the migration flow towards the Canary Islands in summer and autumn 2006, in which several Member States participated. Given the resources available, the operation finished on 15 December. Nevertheless, the flow of illegal migration towards the Canary Islands remains in focus of Frontex activities, being a part of one of the main four routes to the EU, as identified by Frontex risk analysis.
Considering the situation in the region, the operation Hera III will have two parallel parts. The first part will be implemented by experts from Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal. It will focus on interviews with illegal migrants who have arrived to the Canary Islands with the aim to establish whether these crossings are being facilitated. Similar information, gathered during Hera I, already enabled to detain several facilitators mainly in Senegal.
The second focus of the operation will be joint patrols by aerial and naval means of Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and France along the coast of West Africa. The aim of these patrols, carried out with Senegalese authorities, will be to stop migrants from leaving the shores on the long sea journey and thus reducing the danger of losses of human lives.