Status: 04/29/2022 12:18 p.m
According to media reports, the head of the EU border protection agency Frontex is ready to resign. Leggeri had come under criticism for possible illegal pushbacks by those seeking protection in the Mediterranean.
The head of the EU border protection agency Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, has offered his resignation. The agency’s board of directors now wants to deal with it, reports the AFP news agency, citing circles familiar with the case.
The “Spiegel” had previously reported that Leggeri had approached the chairman of the board of directors with his resignation. In the letter, he asked for his resignation to be accepted and thanked him for the “invaluable experience” he had at Frontex. There was initially no official comment.
Reports of illegal pushbacks
The Frenchman Leggeri had come under pressure in connection with reports of human rights violations by Frontex at the EU’s external borders. The media had reported on illegal pushbacks by people seeking protection in the Aegean, in which Frontex is said to be involved. According to this, executives of the authority are said to have deliberately covered up the fact that Greek border guards were bringing refugees back to the open Mediterranean Sea.
Leggeri had “tried to cover up the pushbacks for months,” according to the “Spiegel”. To date, he has not admitted any breaches of the law. Rejecting people seeking protection at the external borders is illegal under international law.