IMMIGRATION : FRONTEX: COMMISSION WANTS MANDATORY COMMITMENTS.

Boosting material means and human rights training for the staff of Frontex, the European agency that coordinates management of EU external borders, without increasing its budget, is the goal of the European Commission's legislative proposal presented, on 24 February, by Commissioner Cecilia Malmström (home affairs). The proposal amends the 2004 regulation that created the Warsaw-based agency.

For her baptism by fire, the Swedish commissioner responded to the pressing demands of member states (particularly Italy and France) that want the EU to be more involved in the fight against illegal immigration. She will present her proposals to the home affairs ministers at their meeting in Brussels, on 25 February. The aims are to ensure that Frontex has the equipment it needs for its operations at sea, on land and in the air.

The...