The EU border agency Frontex's expanded role in the Mediterranean will be limited when compared to Italy’s own naval search and rescue operation, Mare Nostrum.
The prospect of a limited Frontex plus operation is raising fears that more boat migrants will perish (Photo: Frontex)
EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told euro-deputies in Brussels on Wednesday (3 September) the so-called Frontex plus will not replace Mare Nostrum, but will act as a complementary effort, which will be reliant on member state resources and budget constraints.
“Frontex plus is not a replacement for Mare Nostrum. What exactly will happen to Mare Nostrum is an Italian issue, it is not for us to decide,” said the Swedish commissioner.
