Frontex examines fresh pushback allegations against Greek government

Spokesperson for Frontex Chris Borowski said on Tuesday (April 8) that the agency was at present looking into “12 active Serious Incident Reports related to Greece” which were currently under review by the agency’s Fundamental Rights Office. 

“Each is being examined thoroughly,” Borowski stressed, adding that certain cases were linked to allegations of illegal pushbacks reported at the Greek border, with two of the incidents relating to this year, nine cases relating to 2024 and one to 2023.

Borowski however gave no further details such as at what exact part of Greece’s borders the allegations were presumed to have taken place, or whether they involved actions at sea rather than along the land border.

The Associated Press (AP) news agency meanwhile reported that according to Borowski, Frontex had recently boosted its complaint mechanism, suggesting that the new cases under investigation were the result of these new capacities.

Both AP and the Reuters news agency said it had reached out to officials working for both the Greek coast guard and the police, but did not receive a response yet on the cases in question.

A coast guard official reportedly told Reuters that it operates “with a high sense of responsibility, and with full respect for human lives and human rights.”

Any disciplinary action in response to these potential rights violations — if confirmed by Frontex — would legally however be up to Greek national authorities. 

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More accountability, less money

Frontex has warned Greece that if potential rights violations continue, financing of patrol activities along the Greek border may in future be withdrawn.

“Every Frontex officer deployed is trained and obligated to report potential violations. This is a core part of our mandate,” said the Frontex spokesperson.

Frontex meanwhile has already had to cut part of its financing of Greek maritime operations last year due to budgetary issues but continues to engage with and assist Greek authorities.

“Frontex has changed how it engages with member states. We no longer supply resources unquestioningly,” said Borowski. “(We) insist on standards and expect action.”

Thin line between pushbacks and international obligations

At the beginning of the year, the European Court of Human Rights identified a series of human rights violations they said took place in one particular instance at Greece’s land border with Turkey, highlighting in its ruling that there is a “systematic practice of pushbacks” at play.

Rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have recorded allegations of pushbacks for years, saying that these are part of Greece’s overall approach to safeguarding its shores.

The Greek government meanwhile strenuously denies such allegations, but has in the past accused Turkish authorities both at its land border and at sea of pushing migrants back.

Authorities in Athens stress that they act within the law and their international obligations, adding however that border authorities do all in their power to also deter irregular crossings from Turkey to the Greek Islands.

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Frontex also under scrutiny

Frontex meanwhile has also had its own reckoning with similar allegations in the past, with rights groups accusing the EU agency of complicity in pushbacks, which are illegal under international law as well as EU law.

Rights groups have also accused Frontex staff at sea of sending migrants back into the hands of Libyan authorities, which have in their turn been repeatedly accused of abusing human rights.

Since those allegations, the agency has been subject to a series of reforms under new leadership and has introduced structural changes as part of its overhauled image and promised an overall fresh start.

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Deaths at sea continue to escalate

Over 250,000 people have been rescued especially at sea since 2015, when Greece became one of the main entry points for migrants trying to reach the European Union.

According to UNHCR and IOM, thousands of others have died at sea since then; according to Statista, which uses UNHCR and IOM data, over 31,000 people have perished in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea in total between 2014 and 2024.

Various human rights groups have over that time period alleged that some of these deaths hae been as a result of actions that they say should be classified as pushbacks. Although most of these allegations are disputed by the authorities or coast guards accused of having carried out unlawful actions.

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with Reuters, AP