Thick board #12: Frontex – with Arne Semsrott

In this episode I talk to Arne Semsrott from Frag den Staat about Frontex and human rights violations at the EU's external borders. We both know each other a bit longer from university politics in Berlin and his brother Nico is my well-known colleague in parliament. In the meantime, we both deal with Frontex. Arne is trying to get documents from Frontex via the Freedom of Information Act, which the agency does not like to give out.

Proceedings against Frontex can be very expensive. If you want to support „Ask the State“ you can do so via this link donate to the association.

I would tend to abolish this whole construct called Frontex and build something new and much more constructive.

Arne Semsrott, Ask the State

On 1 December, Fabrice Leggeri was invited to the European Parliament's Committee on Home Affairs, of which I am also a member, and we were expecting some answers to questions about the involvement of his border agency, Frontex, in serious human rights violations. Unfortunately, Mr Leggeri preferred to beat about the bush, deflect and not answer most of our questions.  He lied about one of the pushback executions.... My group and I are now calling for a committee of inquiry to be set up in the European Parliament. You can watch the whole hearing here ...look at it. You can find my question if you set 14:37:10 in the timeline.

Monitoring Frontex is very difficult for Parliament.

Erik Marquardt, Member of the European Parliament

At Spiegel you can find more information about the Untruths of the Frontex Director and in addition how Frontex tries to cover up human rights violations.