“I am very satisfied with the successful course of this operation. It was a pilot project and I am very happy that despite the partly unfavourable weather conditions, understandable for the season, it could be carried out according to the schedule. From the coordination point of view the operation went very smoothly and it was a good example of the effectiveness of joint efforts. The lessons learnt will be taken into account in future operations”, said Ilkka Laitinen, the Executive Director of Frontex.
In accordance with Article 8 of Frontex Regulation, Malta requested Frontex support in a situation requiring increased technical and operational assistance.
Two operations were prepared in the region. Within the first one, a group of experts dealing with identification of migrants started working in Malta on 1 August, including experts from the UK, Denmark, Hungary, Germany and Italy. The worked carried out by the experts in Malta substantially contributed to the number of successfully identified migrants and thus increased the possibility of their return to their countries of origin.
Besides, a joint sea operation was conducted to tackle the migration flow in the Central Mediterranean region targeting Malta and Italy. The operation, in which 5 Member States participated (Malta, Italy, Greece, France and Germany), took place on 5 – 15 October.