Publications
LEGAL OPINION FOR THE HEINRICH BÖLL FOUNDATION
Who guards the guards?
The legal responsibility of Frontex in the Aegean Sea under EU law
By Dr. Omer Shatz, Adv., Iftach Cohen, Adv., Sarah Easy, Adv.
Responding to increasing concerns about Frontex’s involvement in border crimes, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki asked front-LEX for a legal opinion concerning the Agency’s accountability for ongoing violations of the fundamental rights of asylum seekers, committed in relation to its activities in the Aegean Sea Region. Co-authored by front-LEX’s legal team, the publication summarizes the three legal avenues currently available under European Union (EU) law to hold Frontex accountable for its ongoing border crimes. The legal opinion further outlines how front-LEX makes use of these three avenues in its Rule-of-Law campaign and provides directions for future litigation. Together with the Heinrich Böll Foundation Thessaloniki, front-LEX aims to contribute to an informed debate among practitioners by outlining legal ways forward to combat the current state of impunity at the EU’s external borders and enhance the use of strategic litigation as a tool to end border violence against people on the move.
Release date: November 2023
Publisher: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Thessaloniki
ISBN / DOI: 978-618-5580-45-2