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2 EU, Russia in Visa Talks

4 Denmark OutlinesPresidency Priorities

5 Experts Discuss High-Level Curricula Plans

7 Tensions Rise on Borderbetween Turkey and Syria

8 Israeli Govt ApprovesIndefininite Detention

10 VIS Goes Live

Edited by Information&Transparency

Contact: [email protected]

Frontex 2012

Frontex Monthly Newsletter

Ja nu ar y 20 12

In this issue:

U

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Military bombardment of the Syrian city

of Homs was continuing for a fifth day

at press time amid intensified calls onembattled leader President Bashar al-Assad to

step down. Condemnation of an assault that one

witness described as savage intensified after a

UN Security Council resolution was blocked by

Russia and China leading the country ever closer

to a full-blown civil war according to observers

in the region. But even as Russian Foreign Min-

ister Sergei Lavrov visited the Syrian leader in a

final bid to secure a political solution, interna-

tional pressure mounted as the worlds TV net-

works broadcast images of Russian-made tanksadvancing in the rebel stronghold.

Hundreds of Homs residents were reported

dead or wounded throughout almost a week of

relentless shelling, which many see as an over-

ture to an all-out assault by ground forces to

snuff out dissent. The UN stopped issuing cas-

ualty estimates after they reached 5,000 saying

the figures were too hard to verify.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called

the Sino-Russian veto a travesty while one

opposition leader described the move a li-

cence to kill in the restive city of Homs and

other strongholds of the Free Syria Army (FSA)

the de facto opposition force manned mainly

by army defectors. One FSA representative told

the BBC that morale had collapsed among gov-

ernment forces, who he said knew they were

killing civilians.

Wh ere Next ?As Assads government becomes increasingly

isolated politically, and t he UN remains effec-

tively stonewalled, Turkish Prime Minister Re-

cep Tayyip Erdoan was among the local leaders

seeking action against Assad. Having earlier

publically declared Turkeys doors open to all

and any Syrian refugees, Erdoan promised

a new initiative aimed at galvanising, those

countries who stand by the Syrian people, not

the regime. Whether such an initiative willprove too little too late remains a question for

time to answer. But UN secretary General Ban

Ki-Moon voiced fears for the worst in Syria.

Speaking at the UN in New York, he said, I

fear that the appalling brutality we are wit-

nessing in Homs, with heavy weapons firing

into civilian neighbourhoods, is a grim har-

binger of worse to come. The latest available

figures on those who have fled the country put

the numbers of refugees at the Turkish, Leba-

nese and Jordanian borders at around, 9,500,

6,000 and 2,500 respectively, though FrontexsRisk Analysis Unit said the displacements had

yet to translate into increased migratory pres-

sure, with only a slight increase in Syrian na-

tionals recorded. But with Turkey still by far the

main conduit for irregular migration into Eu-

rope, the potential for increased border traffic

remains a possible scenario on the horizon for

decision makers.

Syria DescendsTowards Civil War

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2The Border Post Januar y 2012

with Ukraine. Tourists will be able to sub-mit visa documents in March of this year.If tourists present their tickets for footballmatches, their documents will be preparedmuch faster. Even if a person does not havea ticket, their visas will be arranged fasterthan usual, officials promised. In addition,

Polish authorities said at the beginningof December that Poland would be readyto issue five-year Schengen visas to Rus-sian tourists who had at least two expiredSchengen visas. Sweden has promised thatfrom February 1, visas will be processedwithin three working days and more ofan effort will be made to issue multi-en-try visas to Russians.

The EU and the Russian Federation aremaking progress towards introduc-ing visa-free travel for their citizens. Atan EU-Russia summit held in Brusselsin December and attended by RussianPresident Dmitry Medvedev as well asEuropean Comission President Jos Ma-

nuel Barroso, Russia and the EuropeanUnion agreed on a number of commonsteps, such as the introduction of bi-ometric passports and the preventionof illegal migration, which are consid-ered prerequisites for the abolition ofvisas. Reporting on the meeting, EurAc-tiv quoted Jos Manuel Barroso as sayingthe decision had, clear potential ben-

efits for our citizens and for people-to-people contacts.

According to Euromag.ru, the Euro-pean Union is planning to sign a docu-ment that would simplify existing visarequirements. Michael Webb, chargedaffaires of the EU delegation to Rus-

sia, reportedly said that an agreementeasing visa procedures for periods of upto 90 days could be signed as early as thefirst half of 2012.

EU Member States and Schengen zoneparticipants Sweden and Poland alreadyintend to ease visa procedures with Rus-sia. This year, Poland is scheduled to co-host the Euro 2012 football championships

EU, Russia Plan to Liberalise Visas

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Poland estimates that the upcomingEuro 2012 football tournament willboost the number of travellers crossingits borders by between 500,000 and 1million. The tournament will take placein Poland and Ukraine from June 8 toJuly 1. The opening match will be inWarsaw, and the final in the Ukrain-ian capital Kiev.Polands Gazeta Wyborcza quoted

the Border Guard Chief Major JustinSzmidt-Sin as saying, The result ofthe draw for the tournament qualify-ing groups means that Poland will playRussia, so on the border between Russiaand Belarus there may be intense cross-border traffic.A particularly busy period is predictedbetween June 21 and June 24, the Euro2012 quarter-final stage, when theteams will move between Poland andUkraine. A spokeswoman for the tour-

nament said the primary mode of trans-port will be by plane, or occasionallytrain, rather than by coach.At the four largest crossing points be-tween Poland and Ukraine, in Doro-husk, Hrebenne, Medici and Korczowa,special green Nothing to Declare laneswill be created for travelling fans.

Euro 2012 CouldBoost BorderCrossings by

1 Million

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Gaddafi demanded EUR 5 billion to mai n-

tain the status quo threatening to turnEurope black otherwise. In retaliation forItalys backing of NATO airstri kes, the for-mer Libyan regime is bel ieved to have sentmigrants to sea by force.

During the Arab Spring uprisings,28,000 people are reported to have fledLibya to Italy in 2011, the majority of themnationals of other African countries. Asimila r a number arrived in Italy f rom Tu-nisia. It is also estimated that as many as2,200 people may have drowned while at-

tempting sea crossings in the Stra it of Sic-ily over the same period.

Italy and Libya to ReviveBilateral Friendship Treaty

Speaking after a meeting with Mustafa

Abdel Jalil, t he head of Libyas NationalTransitional Council, Italian Pri me MinisterMario Monti said Italy and Libya were readyto reactivate their treaty of friendship. Headded that Rome was ready to unblock assoon as possible frozen Libyan f unds. Thefriendship agreement was signed in 2008between erstwhile Libyan leader Col. Mua-mmar Gaddafi and then Italian Prime Min-ister Silvio Burlusconi. It effectively stoppedirregular migration by sea on the CentralMediterranean route, though it attracted

fierce criticism from human rights groups.Prior to the uprising which deposed him,

Europol reported that police in 22 Euro-pean countries have identified 269 sus-pects and made 112 arrests i n connectionwith the conduct of an online child por-

nography investigation named OperationIcarus. According to Ron Wainwright,Europols director, the investigation isongoing and further ar rests are expected.Speaking at a news conference held atEuropols headquarters in The Hague onDecember 16, Mr Wainwright said that,the operation targeted those sharing the

Europol Arrests Dozens over Pan-European Child Pornography Ring

most extreme forms of video material,which included babies and toddlers beingsexually abused a nd raped. The Associ-ated Press news agency says that 19 men,

aged 24-55, were arrested in Denmark,where police collected a huge amount ofevidence for examination. Denmarkschief of police, Jens Henrik Hoejbjerg,said that in tota l 59 computers and 2,430storage devices had been seized, con-taining the equivalent of 9,000 hours ofvideo images.

The European Commission adopted aproposal for the introduction of a Eu-ropean Union legal framework on securityscanners in mid-November, the EuropeanCommission announced in a press release.The aim of the legislation is to enable air-ports and Member States that wish to usesecurity scanners for the screening of pas-sengers to do so, provided certain strictoperational and technical conditions aresatisfied. Previously, security scanners have

been used under various national opera-tional procedures and standards and to alimited extent. Under a common EU-wideframework, Member States and airportswould be permitted to replace current se-curity systems with security scanners. Theproposed legislation would also ensure theuniform application of security rules at allairports and provide strict and mandatorysafeguards concerning fundamental rightsand the protection of health.

Member States and airports will not be

obliged to deploy security scanners, but ifthey decide to use them, they will have tocomply with operational conditions andperformance standards set at the Europeanlevel. Under the proposed EU legislation,the use of security scan ners would only beallowed if certain minimum conditions aremet, such as that, for example, such scan-ners do not store, retain, copy, print or re-

trieve images and that an image will not belinked to a particular screened person. Pas-sengers will have to be informed about theconditions under which a security scannercontrol takes place. In addition, passengerswill be given the right to opt out of a con-trol with scanners and be subject to an a l-ternative method of screening.

In related news, Greek daily To Vimareports that more and more scientists areexpressing concern about the use of body

scanners at airports, claiming that their usemay increase the risk of cancer. The news-paper cites Professor David Brenner, headof the center of radiological investigationsat New York Columbia University, as sayingthat more research is needed to determinethe exact risk posed by scanning t he entirebody with X-rays. Brenner believes bodyscanners may expose people to a greaterrisk of developing a common form of skincancer known as basal cell carcinoma. TheUKs Civil Aviation (Civil Aviation Author-

ity, CAA) however dismissed the claims, ar-guing that the technology used at all Britishairports is completely safe. According tothe CAA, the scanners recently installed atLondons Heathrow and Gatwick airportsand Manchester Airport have passed all theapplicable safety tests and meet the relevantrequirements imposed by the Health Pro-tection Agency.

Commission Adopts NewRules on Use of Full BodyScanners at EU Airports

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Denmark has been left without con-sulates in 27 countries after the out-going government decided to cancelcooperative agreements with otherSchengen-area countries. Under pre-vious agreements, consulates andembassies of other Schengen coun-tries processed visa applications forDenmark according to a common

set of rules. But last year, the Dan-ish Immigration Ministry demandedthat cooperating consulates beginforwarding visa applications to theDanish police for oversight on thegrounds of national security.Germany and Finland refused therequest on the grounds that it con-travened Schengen rules and addedextra bureaucracy. France soon fol-lowed, leaving Denmark withoutconsular representation in 27 coun-

tries, including Bahrain, Qatar andNigeria. The Copenhagen Post quotedEric Bosc, a spokesman for FrancesForeign Ministry, as saying, Ourview is that you either respect thecommon rules for the procedures,or else you find anot her possibilit y.

Denmark Loses27 Consulatesas it Takes Over

EU Presidency

prove the way the EUs external bordersare managed.

It has pledged to strengthen the b ordersof the passport-free Schengen area andfinalise the common EU asylum system.Denmark says it also plans to press on withmembership negotiations with Turkey, toconclude accession talks with Serbia andto start discussions with Montenegro.

Danish EU PresidencyOutlines Border Priorities

Denmark has made border securityone of its four big priorities as ittakes over the rotating EU presidency.It will hold the position for six months,from January to June 2012. Last yearsuprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt andparts of the Middle East, promptedlarge-scale immigration to Europe. TheDanish Presidency says it is keen to im-

European BiometricsAssociation launchedThe European Association for Biometrics

(EAB), representing key organisations

from 10 different European countries andmarking the culmination of over a decade

of intense work on biometrics within Eu-

rope, held its inaugural meeting in Decem-

ber. While acting as an independent and

distinctly European biometrics platform

engaging in the exchange of information

worldwide, the organisation intends to

maintain strong ties with European insti-

tutions such as governments, the European

Commission, the European Parliament and

Frontex as well as industr y.

France Expels RecordNumber of MigrantsFrance expelled the highest number of ir-

regular migrants on record in 2011, the As-

sociated Press (AP) news agency reported.

Some 32,912 illegally staying third-country

nationals were expelled in 2011, up 17.5 per-

cent from 2010.

AP quoted Interior Minister Claude Gueant

as saying, This result is 5,000 higher than

the initial objective decided upon at thestart of the year. It is the highest result

ever achieved.

Mr Gueant said the government wants the

figure to rise to 35,000 in 2012. Anti-racism

group SOS Racisme called the figures num-

bers of shame. France will hold presiden-

tial elections later this year.

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der to create a flexible but comprehensiveframework for EU mid-level and high-levelborder guards to study together and con-tribute to the development of a commonEU culture of the border guard profession.

Border Guard work is an E-wide activ-ity and requires an EU approach. Commonlegislation, common tasks and responsi-bilities, common values and ethics need acommon approach to border management

and a harmonised internalisation of Euro-pean values at the individual level. Workingtogether to protect EU external borders re-quires a high degree of interoperability, inall aspects, from communication to technol-ogy, from working procedures and methodsto common language and common under-standing of the law and its application, andultimately of the border guard mission.

Frontex supports training and educa-tion of national border guards through theestablishment of common training stand-

ards at European level. Together with theMSs/SACs, Frontex has successfully de-veloped common core curricula for bor-der guard training that have been adoptedand implemented into national trainingsystems in line with the common trainingprinciples and the training philosophy ofFrontex, promoting a common Europeanborder guard culture.

Key actors in the field of border guardeducation and training gathered forthe First Conference on European Curriculafor Border Guard Mid-level and High-levelEducation on 29 30 November 2011. Theconference, hosted in the historic prem-ises of the University of Malta, Valletta, oneof the newest Frontex Partnership Acade-

mies, aimed to promote exchange of in-formation on existing curricula and studyprogrammes within Border Guard educa-tion and training organisations, to steerreflections and common understandingon the European dimension of the futurecurricula development in the field of Bor-der Guarding, and to rai se the need for theimplementation of common core elements

at national levels, in the light of the Bolo-gna and Copenhagen processes.

The Conference offered the unique op-portunity to bring together training ex-perts and other specialists in education, aswell as decision makers from border guardtraining organisations, academies and uni-versities, drivers of the Member States ed-

ucational strategies and standards, as wellas those directly involved in their imple-mentation at expert level. About 80 expertsfrom all Member States and Schengen-As-sociated Countries (SACs) as well as part-ner organisations (including the UN refugeeagency, UNHCR, the Centre for the Demo-cratic Control of Armed Forces, DCAF, andEuropol) shared their interests and require-

Malta University HostsTraining Conference

ments for the development of common EUcurricula, exploring together how theseneeds could be addressed at EU level, andhow Frontex could support the nationalimplementation of common training toolsand concepts while also reflecting the EUdimension of border guard training.

During the two-day conference, theBologna and Copenhagen processes werescrutinised by academics as a strategicframework for European education andtraining, while during the panel sessionsborder guard experts discussed the impli-cations of the Bologna/Copenhagen prin-ciples to Border Guard Education and theadded value for the harmonisation of ed-ucational standards at EU level. The con-cept of Sectoral Qualifications Frameworkfor Border Guarding (SQF) was introduced

as a comprehensive and flexible platformfor competence-based EU curricula de-velopment allowing the integration ofcommon core elements at national levelsfor both academic and vocational BorderGuard education and training systems,ensuring the compatibility and compa-rability of border guard quali fications ac-quired through various types of studyprogrammes existing at national level.

Furthermore, Frontex plans to developa Joint Degree Study Programme at Euro-

pean level were shared with the partici-pants, as well as the lessons learnt by theMember States from the implementationof the CCC, which was reported as a defi-nite success by the respective MS speakers.

The First Conference on European Cu r-ricula can be seen as a further milestoneon the road to shaping the future of bor-der guard education and training, in or-

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ety of media reports. According to Jeremy

Haslam, the International Organisationfor Migrations (IOM) mission chief inLibya, there is a perception that sub-Sa-haran Africans are in some way or formassociated with the previous regime and,indeed, potentially they could be merce-naries. And unfortunately, all sub-Saha-rans are branded with that same stig ma.Haslam said that wh ile the IOM has evac-uated hundreds of thousands of foreignworkers, the situation is still dire for themany that remain.

Sub-Saharan Migrants Leftin Political Limbo in Libya

The U.S. National Public Radio net-

work reported that thousands of sub-Saharan Africans are either stranded inLibya, or being held in makeshift deten-tion centres following the revolt againstMuammar Gaddafi. Many have been re-portedly imprisoned and abused, hav-ing been accused of being mercenaries inGaddafis army. While Gaddafi did repro-tedly pay or conscript sub-Saharan Af-ricans to fight for him, many others inLibya are simply workers who have beencaught up in events according to a vari-

eral months by local Serbs protestingover the presence of Kosovo govern-ment police and customs officers on thecontested border with Serbia. Balkan

Insightquoted Vetevendosje Vice-Presi-dent Shpend Ahmeti, who warned, Thefinancial crisis in the EU leaves Kosovoin a very unstable position and facing a nunpredictable path i n 2012.

The Kosovo government is pressing forthe EU to drop visa requirements for itscitizens and eventually wants to join theEUs passport-free Schengen area.

Kosovo Opposition Renews

Threats to Roadblock BCPs

The nationalist opposition in Kos-ovo has warned it may start erect-ing roadblocks to stop vehicles crossingover from Serbia. The opposition Vetev-

endosje [Self-Determination] movementsays it may start erecting blockades at thenortheast Merdare border crossing and onthe southeast Dheu i Bardhe border. Theroadblocks will be aimed at upholding arecent parliamentary motion advocatinga trade ban with Serbia.

In the Serb-run part of northern Ko-sovo, roads have been blocked for sev-

Poland Sees Risein Asian MigrantsAccording to officials from the Polish Border

Guard, there has been a sharp rise in attempts

at illegal border crossings in the Bieszczadyregion of the country, along with a marked

increase in the number of irregular migrants

now coming from Asia, especially Vietnam.

In 2011, a total of 150 people were detained

during the period from January to early No-

vember in connection with 109 attempts to

illegally cross the border.

Union Claims AirportSecurity Lapse

Representatives of the UKs Immigration Ser-vice Union said that as many as half the re-

placement staff who worked at airports during

a recent public sector strike, during which

80% to 90% of its members stopped work,

lacked the required level of security clearance

and had not undergone the relevant vetting

procedure. UK Immigration Minister Damian

Green rejected the claim, but said the con-

cerns expressed by the Immigration Service

Union would be investigated.

US Builds Sea FenceNews agency AFP reported that the US is build-

ing a 90-meter barrier that will ex tend into the

Pacific to prevent irregular migrants from us-

ing a low-tide route to enter southern California

from Mexico. The barriers due to be completed

in March 2012.

EASO Acts on OvercrowdingThe European Asylum Support Office (EASO), a

recently created EU agency that coordinates Eu-

ropean countries asylum work, is now actively

involved in improving conditions at Europesrefugee camps, especially on the Greek-Turk-

ish border. Chris Folden, EASO team coordi-

nator, said 13 support teams have been sent to

Greece so far and that progress has already been

achieved there, for example in handling asy-

lum-seekers complaints. According to Folden,

progress on asylum work requires more legis-

lation and concrete cooperation was required

at the EU level.

Interpol: Close EU BorderLoophole or Risk AttackIn an interview for UK daily newspaper

The Independent, Interpol Secretary Gen-

eral Ronald Noble criticised EU Member

States for failing to check passports against

the international police agencys database

of lost and stolen travel documents, saying

this practice increases the vulnerability of

mainland Europe to a major terrorist attack.

An EU Commission source confirmed that

while no systematic checks are conducted

against Interpols records, Schengen areacountries use their own database for running

such checks (the Schengen Information Sys-

tem, SIS). The SIS, along with the Visa Infor-

mation System (see p. 10) and other technical

solutions including an Entry/Exit register,

form the backbone of the European Com-

missions Smart Borders package.

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One of the main crossing points for ref-ugees is near the tiny Turkish village of Gu-vecci. The houses here cling to the hillside,overlooking a broad valley planted with ol-ive groves. At its base is the border partlyfenced but largely porous. Local people onboth sides of the border use well-established

smuggling routes to get people out of Syria,and to send supplies in to the opposition.But the dangers are high. Syrian look-

out posts loom on the opposite hills. Severalsmugglers and refugees have been fired ontrying to cross the border illegally. In No-vember, 26-year-old Dr. Ibrahim Othman,a Syrian doctor who ran a network of secretclinics to treat wounded anti-governmentprotestors, was reportedly shot dead as hetried to cross into Turkey to buy supplies.

Looming over Guvecci village, a huge

Turkish flag ripples in the valley winds,marking the Turkish military base that over-looks Syria. So far Ankara has refrained fromgetting involved in the border skirmishes, re-sorting instead to diplomatic pressure andunusually strong criticism of the Assad gov-ernments crackdown on protests. Some Arabcountries have called for a no-fly zone to beenforced for a few miles inside the Syrianborder to provide a refuge for the opposition.

With Turkey vying to become a memberof the European Union, Ankara knows the

EU is watching carefully what happens onwhat could be its future frontier. With Tur-key a key conduit for migrants entering Eu-rope, the refugee crisis on the border couldalso have knock-on effects further west.

And with little sign of an end to theSyrian crackdown, Turkey fears it couldbe drawn even further into the conflictover the border.

The Cilvegozu border crossing used tobe a major trade route b etween Turkeyand Syria a key frontier on the land jour-ney between Europe and the Middle East.

Now security concerns have reducedthe flow of people and goods to a trickle.

The few vehicles coming from Syriabear testament to the v iolence beyond thefrontier. The latest arrivals are two carsbearing Saudi Arabian license plates. Thedoors and windows are ridden with bul-let holes; the rear windscreen of one caris completely shot out.

The Turkish occupants had been trav-elling back to their jobs in Saudi Arabia

when they came under attack just a fewkilometers into Syria. One of the drivers,Nesim Zeytinci, described what happened.

We were driving in Syri a, he said. Aswe went over a bridge, we were attackedby some gunmen but we dont know who

they were. We sped off for around 500 me-ters under fire, then we turned off into alocal neighborhood and the people therehelped us. An ambulance came to take theinjured passenger to hospital.

There is now a permanent queue oftrucks waiting on the Turkish side; driverssay sometimes it stretches 10 kilometersas transport firms become increasingly

Tensions Rise As Refugees

and Violence Spill OverTurkish-Syrian Border

wary of sending people and cargo intoSyria. It is having a big impact on Turk-ish and European traders.

There is no security and the latest in-formation we have is that on the Syrianside of the border they dont give you yourpaperwork, said Mehmet Eski, who wassupposed to be delivering drilling pipes toDubai. We were here waiting for a cou-ple of days for our Saudi visas. We finallygot those, but now there is no security in

Syria so we cannot go.Eskis transport company decided to re-

route the shipment via Iraq a much longerroute and not without its own d angers.

But its not just the violence that ishitting trade.

Turkey has imposed financial and travelsanctions on the Syrian government. TheUS and the European Union are tighten-ing their economic sanctions on Syrianbanks and oil firms.

Meanwhile Syrians continue to pour

across the border into Turkey to escapethe bloody crackdown on anti-govern-ment protests. Over the last 12 months anestimated 19,000 refugees have arrivedin Turkey. Turkish authorities say arou nd7,600 Syrians remain in the country, liv-ing in camps just i nside the border such asthe sprawling complex at a derelict factoryin the town of Yayladagi.

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A boat packed with 250 Iranian andAfghan migrants sank off Indonesia inbad weather in December. The inci-

dent happened on December 17 as themigrants departed from the south-ern coast of Java in a fibreglass vessel,heading for the remote Australian ter-ritory of Christmas Island.France 24 reported that high seas ham-pered the rescue effort, with strongcurrents and waves of up to five metres.

Indonesia: Migrant Boat Sinks with 250 on Board

The survivors had been hanging on to sixlife vests and floating in the sea for aroundfive hours before fishermen found and

rescued them, Indonesian official KelikPurwanto told the AFP news agency. Ac-cording to them, they had flown from Dubaito Jakarta and took buses to an unidentifiedlocation in Java to board the boat. They saidthey were heading to Christmas Island.Thousands of asylum seekers head throughsoutheast Asian countries on their way to

the total number of migrants in the coun-

try to 51,000, up from 33,000 at the endof 2010. Government ministers say mostmigrants are not refugees but are simplyseeking to improve their standard of liv-ing while placing an excessive strain on thecountrys social services. Cabinet ministerMatan Vilani went as far as to call the mi-grants, a real threat to the St ate of Israel.

In a related development, The Jeru-salem Post reported that Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu has toldministerial colleagues from his Likud

party that he intends to strengthen bar-riers along his countrys border with Jor-dan by building a new security fence alongthe 238-kilometer boundary. The project

Israel Approves Unlimited Detention forUndocumented Immigrants from Egypt

Reuters reported that in a move heav-

ily criticised by refugee groups and ac-tivists, the Israeli parliament has passed anumber of amendments to existing legisla-tion that will allow migrants who cross thecountrys borders illegally to be detainedindefinitely, subject to periodic reviewsby an administrative judge. The amend-ments will also permit the authorities tojail a nyone who helps mig rants enter Is-rael illegally. Israeli lawmakers argue thatsuch action is necessary in order to stem amarked rise in the numbers of people il-

legally entering the country from Egyptin recent months. According to govern-ment figures, 2,000 crossed the borderfrom Egypt in November alone, bringing

is expected to cost some EUR 120 m illion.

Israel is already in the process of erect-ing a giant barrier along its 240-kilome-tre border with Egypts Sinai peninsulaand Netanyahu said he feared that once itwas completed, irregular migrants wouldsimply head for the less fortified Jordanianborder. The new fence would also help toprevent smuggling across the border withJordan, he said.

According to Israeli government data,the number of migrants crossing Israelsborder illegally has been on the increase in

recent years. In 2011, a total of 16,816 Af-ricans entered Israel illegally from Egyptwhile in December alone authorities re-ported 2,931 illegal border crossings.

Australia every year. Many pay people-smugglers for the dangerous sea voyage.Survivors said they and the other passen-

gers had paid agents between USD 2,500and USD 5,000 for help seeking asylum inAustralia. Local government officials saidthe boat had a capacity of about 100 people.More than 5,500 people are currentlybeing held in either immigration de-tention centres or in community de-tention in Australia.

Liechtenstein BecomesMember of Schengen AreaOn December 19, Liechtenstein became the

26th member of the Schengen area after the

Justice and Home Affairs Council decidedat its December 13 meeting that the princi-

pality was able to fully apply the Schengen

acquis. The decision ends internal border

controls with Liechtenstein and lifts restric-

tions on the use of the Schengen Information

System (SIS). According to Europolitics, the

December 13 meeting agenda also included

the accession of Bulgaria and Romania as

well as the reform of Schengen area gov-

ernance. The accession of Romania and Bul-

garia to the Schengen area remains on hold

due to concerns over the countries readi-ness to fully apply all membership criteria.

Three Migrants Die ofExposure at Greek BorderThe bodies of three irregular migrants

were recovered by police on Greeces

northern land border with Turkey.

Deutsche Presse reported that the dead

included a 12-year old boy and his mother,

both of Iranian descent. The third body

was a male of African origin believed to bebetween the ages of 25 and 30. Greek au-

thorities believe all t hree died due to hy-

pothermia as they tried to cross the Evros

River that separates the two countries.

The Greek government is pushing ahead

with plans to build a fence along part of

the same border section.

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Brazilian police say they are confis-cating record amounts of illegal syn-thetic drugs such as ecstasy pills, LSDand MDMA most of it smuggled from

Europe. The Guardian reported that lastyear alone the haul of ecstasy t ablets ex-ceeded 194,000. Ten years ago the figurewas just under 2,000.

Police claim all the synthetic drughauls are smuggled from overseas. Secu-rity forces say many of the drug mules, ornarco-turistas as they are known locally,are wealthy Brazilians. This contrasts with

the traditional smugglers of cocaine andmarijuana in Brazil, who are often poorforeigners trying to take the drugs out ofthe country to Europe or the US.

Police say doctors, lawyers and busi-nessmen are among the new narco-turis-tas. Many of them disguise their foreigntrips as holidays, taking photos of famouslandmarks, often in several countries, ac-cording to Brazilian police reports.

A recent report by the UNs Office onDrugs and Crime (UNOCD) suggestedconsumption of synthetic drugs, stable

Brazil Ecstasy Haul Points to NewSmuggling Routes and Narco-Tourism

or falling in much of Europe, is on therise in Brazil and other South Ameri-can countries.

Security forces say the smugglers avoid

main hubs like Rio de Janeiro and SaoPaolo, preferring regional airports suchas Confins in t he mineral-rich state of Mi-nas Gerais. The mules often fly via Portu-gal to countries like Holland and Belgium.A report by Frontex released in Septem-ber claimed the narco-turistas believedthey were less likely to be caught at air-ports such as Confins.

BRIEFS

German Federal Police toTake over Border DutiesGerman federal police have taken charge of

border control in the port of Bremen. Pre-

viously the duties were carried out by Ger-man river police. The change, which came

into force on 1st January 2012, was made

by the federal government to save money.

When vessels dock at Bremen or Bremer-

haven, they are now boarded first by federal

police officers who check the passports and

visas of the crew. River police are still re-

sponsible for monitoring the vessels papers

and for other policing activities in the port.

Police unions deny move will save money.

US Adds 513 Miles ofFence to Southern BorderSince 2006, the United States has added

513 miles of new fencing to its southern

land boundary with Mexico, raising to

649 miles the total length of border that

has some form of man-made barrier The

Washington Postreported.

Sikh Loses Turban Case

A British Sikh who attempted to sue the Pol-ish Border Guard after being made to re-

move his turban at Warsaws Okecie airport

for routine security checks last year lost his

case on the grounds that passenger safety

is paramount. Shaminder Puri said he was

educated in Warsaw and had travelled to

and from Poland many times without fac-

ing such problems before.

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The European Unions latest large-scale IT system, the Visa InformationSystem (VIS), began operation on 11 O c-tober 2011. VIS aims to prevent visa fraudand visa shopping by applicants betweenEU Member States and to improve the se-

curity of checks at external border cross-ing points and within the territory ofMember States via the collection of thebiometrics of all Schengen visa hold-ers. The VIS system is a key part of theEuropean Commissions Smart Borderspackage and is the latest EU large-scalebiometric-based information system tobecome functional.

New applicants for a VIS Schengenvisa have to travel to the nearest EU con-sulate to give their biometric informa-tion (10 fingerprints and a facial image),which is then entered into the systemand remains valid for five years. Infor-

mation is centrally stored in a databasein Strasbourg (with a back-up site inAustria) allowing checks to be made atborder crossing points that the personholding the biometric visa is the sameperson who applied for it.

All Schengen and Schengen-associ-ated states will implement the systemat all national consulates and official EU

border crossing points within th ree yearsof the system going live.

The VIS will be rolled out in stages bothwhen issuing visas and when checking them.All consulates of Schengen countries in visa-required countries must be ready within two

years (by 11 October 2013) to issue VIS visas.At a minimum, all Schengen states having

consulates in the North Africa region mustnow already issue biometric visas, howeverstates are free to also issue VIS visas with orwithout fingerprints ahead of schedule ifthey notify the European Commission ac-cordingly. The North Africa region will befollowed by others the next two being the

Visa Information System Goes Live Near East (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria),and the Gulf regions (Afghanistan, Bahrain,Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Ara-bia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen).

The Commission estimates that the 25Schengen states currently issue approxi-mately 13 million visas per year and that

the database will thus contain some 70million fingerprints when it is runningat full capacity.

Since 31 October, border guard servicesthroughout the EU have been obliged at allborder crossing points (BCPs) to check atleast the sticker number of biometric visasissued by European consulates using thissystem in the first roll-out zone in NorthAfrica. Member States (MSs) are, however,allowed to determine at national level atimetable for the roll-out of biometric (fin-

gerprint) checks at their BCPs over the firstthree years of operation of the system.

This effectively means that MSs are al-lowed, and have, very different plans for theroll-out of VIS biometric checks across theirBCPs. This has obvious ramifications forsmuggling and trafficking routes and modioperandi over the next three years as, whilesome MS implement the VIS fully, others maybe faced with increased irregular flows be-cause of a balloon effect.

VIS checks at BCPs are, initially at least,

likely to cause delays as the need to checkfingerprints is included in the workflow.This may prove problematic at land andsea BCPs where mobile equipment will beused in a wide variety of situations and en-vironmental conditions , for example, thereis some concern over the practical securityof making VIS checks while persons sit intheir cars at land borders.

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Over 38 000 migrants were detected

crossing illegally into the EU in thethird quarter of 2011 (Q3), which con-stitutes an 11% increase in comparisonto the same period last year. Consistentwith recent trends, the majority of mi-grants entered the EU in a small numberof hotspots such as land border bet weenGreece and Turkey in the Evros regionand the Italian island of Lampedusa inthe Central Mediterranean.

Afghan nationals remain the top na-tionality and in Q3 2011 represented

almost a quarter of all irregular mi-grants detected at the EU external bor-ders. Moreover, in Q3 2011 there was aseven-fold increase in the number of Pa-kistani nationals, who now rank second.The intelligence gathered suggests thatmost of the migrants from Pakistan areyoung, educated men from the NorthEastern part of the country who wereunemployed in their country. Most wereheaded to Germany, Belgium, Italy, theUK and France. Another new trend is a

ten-fold increase, in comparison with Q32010, in the number of Nigerians, whowere detected mostly in Italy.

Eastern Mediterranean

There were over 18 000 detections atthe Greek-Turkish land border. Afghannationals remain the most numerousgroup, accountin g for to over 46% of de-

Evros Region RemainsHot-Spot in Q3, 2011

tections, followed by nationals of Paki-

stan. Greece remains a transit countryfor most migrants, who tend to move onfrom there to other Member States. InQ3 increasing numbers of migrants weredetected illegally re-entering Schengenfrom the Western Balkans (in particularfrom Serbia to Hungary and from Croa-tia to Slovenia), crossing the Ionian Seato southern Italy or using false docu-ments on intra-Schengen flights fromGreece to other EU countries.

Central MediterraneanThe situation in the Central Mediterra-nean was highly volatile throughout 2011.The number of detections on the Italianisland of Lampedusa, which was the maindestination of migrants from the begin-ning of the year, dropped by half in com-parison with the previous quarter butstill amounted to over 12 000 arrivals. Itis worth noting that since the NationalTransitional Council successfully gainedcontrol of Tripoli, the flows of migrants

from Libya stopped abruptly at the begin-ning of August. Following the fall of theGaddafi regime, migrants came mostlyfrom Tunisia and Egypt. Migrants fromTunisia remain the most significant na-tionality with 3 370 detections, followedby some 3 000 Nigerians. The growingnumber of Nigerians detected at the Eu-ropean borders suggests that Nigerian fa-

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cilitation networks are becoming moresophisticated and consequently the num-bers of migrants are likely to increase.

Western Medite rra nean

Spain experienced the highest level of de-tections in three years, and an increase of

60% compared to year earlier, with over 3500 detections of North African and sub-Saharan migrants. As a result, the WesternMediterranean became the third largestpoint of entry into the EU during Q3.

Other

The number of applications for interna-tional protection increased significantlyin Q3 and reached over 64 000 appli-cations across the Member States. Thelargest number of applications was sub-mitted in Italy by nationals of Nigeria,

Ghana, Mali and Pakistan. The numberof applications submitted by nationals ofPakistan and Afghanistan also increasedin other Member States, including Ger-many and Austria.

Illegal Border Crossings by Nationality (left)

and Member State of First Entry (right)

Detections reported by Member States,

thousands of persons

the border post - 2012-01

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