Violations against migrants recorded by Frontex: what threatens Lithuania if the findings are confirmed?
Fabriiis Ležeri, the head of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, states that the agency has recorded dozens of violations against migrants in Lithuania, Info Day reports. What consequences can the confirmation of such a statement have for Lithuania?
According to Petras Auštrevičius, a member of the European Parliament, Lithuania has made a very right decision at some point by calling on the control of the officials of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency what actions the country is taking during this illegal crisis and hybrid attack.
“It has been a question of time when uncertainties may arise for this purpose – how the emergency law is implemented in the image of reversing illegal migrants, or redirecting them in another direction. I am not surprised to hear that there is already some knowledge, generalizations that there are possible violations – it is disputed how many there are. But, I would say that this needs to be responded to normally. It needs to be clarified, as Frontex has to cooperate with the Lithuanian authorities – the Border Guard Department and the Government. Therefore, it is not necessary so far to be very intimidating and intimidating others, that this will be a special blog for us, and for those who want to be responsible, the proposals of the European Commission. The situation needs to be taken calmly but seriously, ”said the interlocutor.
– Do you think that Frontex officials can knock on the door and, for example, end the mission earlier than planned, because the end is in November.
– The question is how you will try to present all this situation and all the assessments. I am afraid that there may be attempts to politicize the matter, because some political groups are very closely monitoring the situation on the Lithuanian-Belarusian-Polish-Belarusian border. Some of them, with their unconditional support for so-called irregular migration, try to create the best possible conditions for migrants to cross the border in one way or another. Under political pressure, Frontex officials may take one action or another. Will they try to leave earlier – to show demonstratively that they do not agree and cannot cooperate with Lithuania, so far I do not see such results. Because so far we hear only applause from Frontex officials for cooperation, information and the like. I would also suggest cooperating in this spirit, providing information, explaining each individual case and patiently awaiting final conclusions.
– If it happens that Frontex leaves and, you say, who could politicize such a decision, as we would then look against other members of the community?
– We can always be equated with those countries where there have been cases of expulsion or non-acceptance of such migrants by force. This includes Greece, Hungary and Croatia. That may be the case, but let us not forget one thing: we want us to do everything else to provide an explanation of the emergency or the hybrid attack and all the arguments to Brussels, although some European Commissioners seem to be very supportive of Lithuanian policy during this period. what is being done and what the situation is, but let us not think that we have done so much that nothing needs to be done. Therefore, political work, lobbying and interpretation must continue.
– Can this situation cause Lithuania any serious consequences from the European Union, or will it be limited to reputational damage?
– It can be reputational damage – you can get some criticism, advice, conclusions, which can be useful for other opportunities in similar situations. I don’t think we’re going to get any financial punishment or anything like that. This may lead some to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for one form or another of financial compensation.
– Is it that we think you might want to stray to some legal consequences?
– I think so, there may be legal consequences. They may have some financial expression, but they would very much not want us to be the sole culprit in all these situations. Examining the speech of the United Nations (UN) representative after his visit to Lithuania, in order to carry out tasks without him once knowing the questions: Dear Sir, are you looking for Belarus? Do you provide this information and a summary of Lithuania’s actions, do you know perfectly well and are typically well informed about the situation on the Belarusian side and the hybrid actions of that state? If not, go ahead – we are ready to continue the discussion. It can sometimes be answered anyway.
– Or are the reports of border incidents just another maneuver of Aliaksandr Lukashenko’s regime?
– We probably do not see the actions that Lukashenko can take so far. He is willing to focus on this action. He himself served in the USSR Border Service, which always chef KGB. And he seems to know all those things perfectly well, and can tell you a lot from his past. But, I think he still has potentially unpleasant surprises for us – either in terms of the number of migrants or something else we might experience in the near future.