Despite appearing tightening moves by the European Union and its member states on migration, Hans Leijtens, head of the EU border agency Frontex based in Warsaw since last year, advocates for humane treatment of migrants.
In an interview with the German weekly Welt am Sonntag, Leijtens stated that nothing can physically stop people from crossing borders. He added that the goal is to slow and better manage the flow of people into the EU. He described illegal immigration as an inevitability that mirrors the sun rising each day.
Sometimes, there is an illusion that borders can be corked shut and migration would cease. Yet he argued that condemning migrants would be too easy a stance from his vantage in Warsaw.
– he noted. He argued that the story of endlessly detaining people and closing borders cannot continue.
His view is that the job is to balance effective border management with respect for fundamental rights.
– he explained. He suggested that a shift in focus is needed from border enforcement to asylum procedures at Europe’s external borders, faster removals where appropriate, and cooperation with third countries that includes joint investigations into human smuggling.
The leader of the EU border protection agency questions whether a model built on hard borders can keep pace with the realities of migration and whether most arrivals whose asylum claims are rejected can be returned to places where they can be supported.
Leijtens does not only seek reform within Frontex; he aims to steer the migration debate toward greater humanity, less fear of strangers, and reduced prejudice.
This alarmism should end, according to him, as the rule of law remains essential in editorial judgment.
Journalists from Welt am Sonntag also reached out to Frontex’s former head, Fabrice Leggeri. Leggeri said he always worked to defend EU and Schengen interests against terrorism and smuggling, but that political shifts in Brussels affected his ability to lead.
In October 2019, Leggeri met with EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson, responsible for home affairs. At the time, the European Commission signaled a preference for a permanent Frontex force yet questioned its purpose if migrants are welcome and weapons and uniforms were unnecessary in the eyes of policymakers.
The increasing influence of NGOs in Brussels made certain tasks harder to complete, Leggeri recalled. Pressure rose, and the European Anti-Fraud Office OLAF later assessed his work critically in an official report. Critics in the European Parliament challenged Frontex, while Leggeri argued that the agency was not primarily a migrant-support entity.
Leggeri resisted expanding the number of human rights plenipotentiaries. At the same time, media scrutiny intensified. A 2021 investigative collaboration involving Lighthouse Reports, Der Spiegel, SRF Rundschau, and Le Monde reported Frontex involvement in pushbacks in Greece, triggering calls by some NGOs to abolish Frontex. Reports also pointed to political maneuvering in various capitals that shaped Frontex’s leadership trajectory.
As Leijtens noted in Brussels, the agency’s work should rest on transparency and accountability. Frontex is intended to support the EU migration pact agreed upon in the previous year, with a focus on practical, rights-respecting border management.
— JJW, welt.de, spiegel.de, bbc.com
Source: wPolityce