Return of 800 refugees to Libya

Question for written answer  E-001930/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Özlem Demirel (The Left)

On 24 February 2021, Frontex reported on Twitter that it had spotted ‘nine migrant vessels in distress with over 800 migrants on board’ during the previous few days in the central Mediterranean. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency had then informed the relevant national Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres in the areas concerned and provided ‘regular updates’.

• 1.On which date during the aforementioned weekend did Frontex identify each individual maritime emergency and how many people were on board each boat?
• 2.Which Frontex teams were deployed in each case and in what ways were they supported by EUROSUR services, such as Copernicus or the Frontex Aerial Surveillance Services?
• 3.In which cases were Libyan control centres also informed, and which of these reports led to boats being escorted back to Libya by the country’s coast guard?