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Operation Themis Impaginato Eng.Pdf Since almost five years now, the agency to handle it, its mandate has migratory phenomenon that from the been widen and strengthen North African and Middle Eastern transforming Frontex in the European coasts crosses the Mediterranean Sea Border and Coast Guard Agency. Going and arrives in the European territory into details, Frontex is today able, in keeps on representing a challenge for emergency situations, to quickly deploy 2 those States and the agencies of the border and coast guard officers from a European Union (EU) that struggle rapid reaction pool of at least 1.500 containing it. With time many EU-led men and women. Moreover, among the operations, in which Italy has always other functions it performs, the agency had a determining role, have been shares the intelligence collected on launched for handling the crisis. The people suspected of being involved in most recent one started on the first of criminal activities with national February 2018, it is called Themis and is authorities and other European managed by the EU agency Frontex. institutions. It is precisely in this new First of all, it is relevant to remind that framework that operation Themis in Frontex was founded in 2005 as the the central Mediterranean Sea was European Agency for the Management born, replacing the previous Frontex of Operation Cooperation at the operation named Triton. Therefore, External Borders. Its task, in fact, was with the end of identifying the change to help States of the Union of path the agency has made by implementing the communitarian rules launching Themis, it is necessary to about checks at the borders of the recall tasks, operational area, successes Schengen area, ensuring that the and failures of Triton. The latter was efficiency standard was kept at high created in August 2014 and operated levels, and coordinating the under the command of the Italian collaboration among Member States on Ministry of Interior. Following the the matter. Later, in 2016, as an answer directives of its mandates, Triton to the migratory crisis and the contributed, with its naval and aerial realization of the incapability of the assets, coordinating those activities aimed at controlling irregular migratory helicopters and seven teams charged fluxes and at contrasting cross-border with collecting data and carrying out crime. Triton also participated to activities of identification of smugglers search and rescue (SAR) operations in and migrants in the Italian hotspots. To an area that stretched 30 nautical miles sum up, Triton, in its four years of from the Italian coasts. In 2015, activity, saw the material support of 26 3 following the few achievements that European Nations and contributed Triton made (the number of victims at saving about 85.000 men and women in sea even increased), the European SAR operation. Nonetheless, not only Commission decided to widen the the cases of drowning kept on being scope of the operation by expanding its numerous, but also, the operation area of intervention to 50 nautical miles revealed it self to be little efficacious in and adding further funds, personnel, handling the migrant flux as envisaged vessels and aircrafts also with the aim in its mandate. In fact, with time the of contributing dismantling the migratory dynamics have changed and network of people smugglers through smugglers have adapted the routes to bettering the collection of information. the obstacles met in the Mediterranean. About one year later, the operation To be more specific, there are two underwent a new process of revision factors that have contributed which translated into the widening of diversifying the maritime itineraries the area in which it performed its used for smuggling human beings. functions to 138 nautical miles from the Firstly, the deployment of EUNAVFOR coasts of Sicily and into paying a MED operation Sophia1 in the central greater attention to the identification Mediterranean Sea, acted as deterrent of drugs trafficking, and cases of illegal against the consolidated routes for fishing and maritime pollution. smuggling migrants. Secondly, thanks Operation Triton could count, in its 1 latest months of mission, on three The operation is part of the EU missions of Common Security and Defence Policy and is aimed at undertaking surveillance aircrafts, nine vessels, two systematic efforts to identify, capture and dispose of vessels and assets used or suspected of being used by migrant smugglers. to the training that Italy, with the help eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea of the EU, provided to the Libyan Coast for controlling the fluxes coming from Guard (Country from which most of the Egypt, Turkey and Albania and in the boats departed), the latter is now better more western one for tackling the able to monitor its coasts and control traffics in route from Algeria, Tunisia the departures from the western area and Libya. Evidently, compared to 4 of the Country, which is under the Triton, the new Frontex operation authority of the Government of Tripoli. better reflexes the changed patterns of Operation Themis, hence, was born migration. A further responsibility that precisely from the necessity of Themis personnel take is the fight adapting the geographical and against cross-border criminal activities. functional scope of the activities of In particular, the operation will support Frontex to the different strategic Italy contrasting drugs smuggling and scenario. Practically, Themis differs identifying possible terrorist threats at from its predecessor Triton in its the EU borders through the collection mandate, in the setting of the of intelligence and the implementation operational area, in its security of other measures aimed at preventing component, and in the possible ports in that criminal or terrorist groups enter which to disembark migrants. At the the territory of the Union. Such centre of Themis’ mandate there is a security component addresses the triple commitment: assist Italy in the wider target of guaranteeing internal activities of control of maritime security to all Member States thanks to borders, continue performing SAR at a constant work of monitoring sea, and ensure that the international migratory fluxes, eventual infiltrations norms are respected in the of foreign fighters through the Tunisian Mediterranean waters. For what route (the most credible for possible concerns the operational area, if jihadist to reach Europe2) and drugs Triton’s was limited to the south of the 2 The route that connects Tunisia to the costs of eastern Sicilian costs, Themis can perform its Sicily, in fact, is the safest to travel as it has a much shorter duration than the journeys that depart from Libya. patrolling activity in two zones: in the Moreover, wood-made boats and motorboats are used for the crossing, proving for a real “shuttle service”. As a smuggling. In the last years, in fact, the Frontex is also the result of numerous networks of cocaine trafficking have critics Rome advanced about this diversified the routes using procedure and aims at achieving a more transhipment centres in western Africa supportive contribute from the other from where the packages leave for States of the Union. Finally, the European States. Furthermore, the European agency will keep on being 5 Balkan route is increasingly being present with its officers in the Italian employed for exporting the herb of hotspots with the end of supporting the cannabis from southern-eastern local personnel in registering migrants Europe (Albania in particular) towards and taking their fingerprints. western and central Europe through To sum up, Themis has a mandate that the Adriatic Sea. is wider than Triton’s and is more A novelty that makes operation Themis conform to the changing patterns of stand out, and that has particular migration. The mission, in fact, as relevance for Italy, is the renewed currently agreed, will last one year and effort in applying the law of the sea as will undergo examinations every three established by the Hamburg months; this underlines the flexibility convention: migrants rescued will have and adaptability with which Frontex has to be accompanied and disembarked in wanted to shape the new operative the European port closer to the spot in commitment. Moreover, the strong which the rescue has taken place. security component that characterises During Triton’s activities, instead, men the operation and the change of and women saved at sea were direction in regards to the choice of the indiscriminately conducted to Italy, ports for disembarkation, render hence notwithstanding the Themis a more solid, wide and coherent geographical vicinity of other States. mission. In its new form, the operation Such a change of direction made by Frontex launched is very close to the mandate of EUNAVFOR MED Sophia, it consequence, such service costs more than the routes is hence possible to imagine a greater commonly used in the central Mediterranean. cooperation between the two realities. reasons behind such statement are In particular, operation Sophia could essentially two, first of all Italy has represent the military wing of Themis since always taken most of the considering that is has a more robust responsibility concerning hospitality, operative capacity and a wider space given not only its major involvement in for action. SAR operations, but also the scarce 6 collaboration of the neighbouring In conclusion, operation Themis, born European States. Secondly, despite from a pact signed between the Italian Rome has decided to limit the Ministry of Interior and Frontex, will patrolling area of the Italian naval give a more concrete support to the assets deployed for Themis to 24 miles actions that Italy has been from national coasts, it is still not clear implementing for handling the which the space of action of the other migration crisis and for guaranteeing European assets operating under security to the waters of the Frontex will be. If also the latters will Mediterranean.
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