Reactions to the European Commission’s proposal to upgrade Frontex

The European Commission’s plan to upgrade Frontex from a European agency with 1 500 employees into a complimentary European border and coast guard with 10 000 armed guards by 2020 has caused mixed reactions in the European Union. Under the proposal, €12.6 bn would be allocated to Frontex between 2019 and 2027, with the agency supporting national border patrols as well as coast guards and operating at the command of national authorities.

News Highlights: Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean Ministers meet, Fishermen face trial for sea rescue, Situation Libya “untenable”

In this week’s news highlights: Ministers from Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea meet in Asmara, then travel to Djibouti; Events Ethiopia-Eritrea lined up; Ethiopians and Eritreans meet at the border; Book by former finance minister said to expose Eritrean president; Demonstration in Geneva demands full peace in Eritrea; Exhibition ‘Eritrea in the News’ opens in London; Human Rights Watch expresses concerns over Sudan ahead of UN Human Rights Council; UN Special Representative concerned over violence in Libya; 6 Fishermen stand trial in Italy after rescuing migrant boat; Recent mixed migration research published; and UNICEF warns that it has little data on child migrants and refugees in Spain.

News Highlights: Joint Sudan-Ethiopia border force, Italy refuses to let 177 migrants disembark, 1 in 31 die on Mediterranean Sea

In this week’s news highlights: highlights of the past month; Sudan and Ethiopia agree on joint border force; Eritrean President plans new visit to Ethiopia; Eritrea-Ethiopia peace faces tough negotiation points; Amnesty International Op-Ed states that Eritrean demobilization plan is urgently needed; UN Special Envoy comments on South Sudan peace effort; Italy refuses to let migrants disembark and threatens to return them to Libya; UNHCR and Amnesty sound alarm over deaths at sea; and ARCI report calls attention to dangers of border externalization.