EU Ombudsman finds Frontex lacked guidelines and rights-monitor involvement for sea emergencies after the Pylos shipwreck, where over 600 people died or are presumed dead
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What happened
After the June 2023 shipwreck of the Adriana off Greece, in which more than 600 people died or are presumed dead, the European Ombudsman opened a strategic inquiry (OI/3/2023/MHZ) into Frontex's role. Its decision of 26 February 2024 (press release 28 February) found that Frontex made four offers of aerial surveillance to Greek authorities that went unanswered, could not go to the boat's location at critical times without Greek permission, has no internal guidelines on issuing emergency signals such as Mayday calls, and did not sufficiently involve its fundamental rights monitors in maritime emergency decisions. The Ombudsman said Frontex's current mandate falls short of what its 'coast guard' name suggests. Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens responded: 'We are not the European Search and Rescue Agency,' arguing its core task is border security and sea assistance requires a state's consent.
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