Greece To Face More Scrutiny Over Treatment Of Asylum Seekers Eu Official Hellas

Jonas Grimheden, a fundamental rights officer at the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, spoke in a rare interview following numerous allegations that asylum seekers are being illegally expelled from Greece. “It was clear to me that Greece is one of the countries that needs enhanced monitoring,” he told the Guardian. “I think what’s missing now on my part is increasing the pressure, reinforcing what I think needs to be done to prevent violations.” He was reluctant to go into detail, but suggested that Frontex “could be present in more locations, be involved in more activities” on Greece’s external borders. “In countries that are not performing according to EU law, it would make more sense to have more Frontex than less,” he said, adding that the agency’s presence places “clear reporting obligations” on member states. While human rights groups, which have long reported alleged pushbacks by Greek authorities, are likely to welcome increased attention to the EU’s southeastern border, Frontex itself has been accused of complicity in human rights abuses. Grimheden, a former human rights lecturer, joined Frontex in June 2021 with the task of ensuring that EU border management complies with international law and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. His first days on the job coincided with dozens of NGOs and sea rescue captains launching a campaign to abolish Frontex, claiming the EU agency was implementing a deadly border control policy against migrants. “It’s probably a logical reaction,” Grimheden said when asked about the campaign. “But I don’t think it’s the solution. On the contrary, I think Frontex is needed.” Much of his tenure coincided with criticism of the Warsaw-based agency, which culminated in April with the resignation of Frontex’s executive director, Fabrice Leggeri. Grimhenden declined to comment on Leggeri’s record and stressed his independence from the board. The Swedish human rights expert, however, suggested that the agency’s problems stemmed from past practice and were being solved by hiring dozens of fundamental rights officials. These staff, tasked with defending human rights, may work at EU borders or on return flights of people who have been refused asylum in Europe. The agency was reprimanded by the European Parliament last year for failing to hire “at least” 40 fundamental rights officers as required by EU law. As of July 1 the service had 31 screens, and Grimheden hopes to have 46 in place by October 2022. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “I think the past practice, the past experience of Frontex being quite opaque, not having the fundamental rights officer and the observers in place, increases the risk of being interpreted as something that it is not,” he said. Allegations of violent and illegal pushbacks at the Greek border have multiplied since the spring of 2020, when thousands of refugees and migrants attempted to cross Greece’s land and sea borders, encouraged by the Turkish government. Grimheden’s intervention, couched in diplomatic terms, reveals the EU’s concerns about Greece’s asylum policy. In June, the European Commission’s top migration official, Ylva Johansson, told the Greek government that “violent and illegal deportations of migrants must stop”, warning Athens that it was at risk of losing EU funds. In the first six months of the year, 5,567 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece by sea, according to the UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR also reported that Turkey rescued or intercepted 4,700 people in May alone – a 47% increase on the previous month. The Greek government has repeatedly rejected allegations of human rights violations. Speaking in the European Parliament last month [5 July] The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, rejected the accusations of pushbacks at the borders of his country. “It is the right of every European member state to protect its borders with full respect for fundamental rights. This is exactly what Greece has been doing for the last three years,” he told MEPs. He added that Greece’s independent anti-corruption agency was looking into some “disturbing” allegations that needed to be “further investigated”. And he accused Turkey of not honoring the 2016 pact with the EU to stop people getting on boats to Europe: “Let’s not repeat the Turkish propaganda, that they have no role in what is happening and that it is the Greeks who are treated inhumanely in terms of non-protection of fundamental rights”. Grimheden can recommend that Frontex withdraw from an EU member state if there are persistent rights violations, but he warned against using this “leverage” in Greece. “I wouldn’t be able to monitor in Greece if we don’t operate in Greece… the complaints mechanism wouldn’t work for Greece. So I think that from that point of view, it is important that Frontex is present.”

title: “Greece To Face More Scrutiny Over Treatment Of Asylum Seekers Eu Official Hellas Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Melissa Johnson”

Jonas Grimheden, a fundamental rights officer at the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex, spoke in a rare interview following numerous allegations that asylum seekers are being illegally expelled from Greece. “It was clear to me that Greece is one of the countries that needs enhanced monitoring,” he told the Guardian. “I think what’s missing now on my part is increasing the pressure, reinforcing what I think needs to be done to prevent violations.” He was reluctant to go into detail, but suggested that Frontex “could be present in more locations, be involved in more activities” on Greece’s external borders. “In countries that are not performing according to EU law, it would make more sense to have more Frontex than less,” he said, adding that the agency’s presence places “clear reporting obligations” on member states. While human rights groups, which have long reported alleged pushbacks by Greek authorities, are likely to welcome increased attention to the EU’s southeastern border, Frontex itself has been accused of complicity in human rights abuses. Grimheden, a former human rights lecturer, joined Frontex in June 2021 with the task of ensuring that EU border management complies with international law and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. His first days on the job coincided with dozens of NGOs and sea rescue captains launching a campaign to abolish Frontex, claiming the EU agency was implementing a deadly border control policy against migrants. “It’s probably a logical reaction,” Grimheden said when asked about the campaign. “But I don’t think it’s the solution. On the contrary, I think Frontex is needed.” Much of his tenure coincided with criticism of the Warsaw-based agency, which culminated in April with the resignation of Frontex’s executive director, Fabrice Leggeri. Grimhenden declined to comment on Leggeri’s record and stressed his independence from the board. The Swedish human rights expert, however, suggested that the agency’s problems stemmed from past practice and were being solved by hiring dozens of fundamental rights officials. These staff, tasked with defending human rights, may work at EU borders or on return flights of people who have been refused asylum in Europe. The agency was reprimanded by the European Parliament last year for failing to hire “at least” 40 fundamental rights officers as required by EU law. As of July 1 the service had 31 screens, and Grimheden hopes to have 46 in place by October 2022. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “I think the past practice, the past experience of Frontex being quite opaque, not having the fundamental rights officer and the observers in place, increases the risk of being interpreted as something that it is not,” he said. Allegations of violent and illegal pushbacks at the Greek border have multiplied since the spring of 2020, when thousands of refugees and migrants attempted to cross Greece’s land and sea borders, encouraged by the Turkish government. Grimheden’s intervention, couched in diplomatic terms, reveals the EU’s concerns about Greece’s asylum policy. In June, the European Commission’s top migration official, Ylva Johansson, told the Greek government that “violent and illegal deportations of migrants must stop”, warning Athens that it was at risk of losing EU funds. In the first six months of the year, 5,567 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece by sea, according to the UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR also reported that Turkey rescued or intercepted 4,700 people in May alone – a 47% increase on the previous month. The Greek government has repeatedly rejected allegations of human rights violations. Speaking in the European Parliament last month [5 July] The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, rejected the accusations of pushbacks at the borders of his country. “It is the right of every European member state to protect its borders with full respect for fundamental rights. This is exactly what Greece has been doing for the last three years,” he told MEPs. He added that Greece’s independent anti-corruption agency was looking into some “disturbing” allegations that needed to be “further investigated”. And he accused Turkey of not honoring the 2016 pact with the EU to stop people getting on boats to Europe: “Let’s not repeat the Turkish propaganda, that they have no role in what is happening and that it is the Greeks who are treated inhumanely in terms of non-protection of fundamental rights”. Grimheden can recommend that Frontex withdraw from an EU member state if there are persistent rights violations, but he warned against using this “leverage” in Greece. “I wouldn’t be able to monitor in Greece if we don’t operate in Greece… the complaints mechanism wouldn’t work for Greece. So I think that from that point of view, it is important that Frontex is present.”