Today, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, renewed its working arrangement with the Ministry of the Internal Affairs of Georgia.

Under the revised arrangement, Frontex and Georgia reaffirmed their commitment to work together in dealing with irregular migration and fighting cross-border crime, implementation of technical assistance projects as well as in  exchanging information and best practices in the area of border management and return.

“It was in 2008 – more than a decade ago - that the first Working Arrangement between Frontex and the Georgian authorities was signed. I am confident that the new framework for cooperation will allow us to achieve further progress towards securing borders and addressing common challenges, which call for a coordinated response,” said Frontex’s Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.

The working arrangement was renewed to reflect the strengthened mandate of Frontex and will lead to a better response to today’s operational needs in the area of border management in full respect of fundamental rights.

Hundreds of Georgian experts have taken part in Frontex-led trainings and capacity building activities such as the Eastern Partnership IBM Capacity Building Project as well as participated in Frontex operational activities as observers.

“I am glad that the working arrangement signed today will serve as a firm legal basis for our future successful cooperation, the positive result of which goes beyond the existing relations of the two agencies and represents an important phase in Georgia-EU cooperation”, said Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri.

The document was signed during a virtual ceremony by Frontex’s Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri and Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri. The virtual ceremony was also attended by the Director General of DG HOME Monique Pariat, Acting Director-General of DG NEAR Maciej Popowski and Head of the EU Delegation to Georgia H.E. Carl Hartzell.

Press Release of the EU Delegation to Georgia

Five people have died after a plane crashed shortly after take-off at Malta International Airport. There are believed to be no survivors in the crash which is believed to have been carrying EU border officials heading to Misrata, Libya. Witnesses said they saw the plane rise before banking to the right and going ‘straight into the ground’.
All flights to and from the airport in Luqa have been cancelled. The plane that crashed was a twin-propeller Metroliner, according to the Times of Malta, that can carry around 10 people. The Times of Malta said the plane had been leased from Luxembourg for use by Frontex officials.
However, the organisation put out a statement saying it had not deployed the plane, but stopped short of saying whether its staff were on board. There was no immediate news on the nationality of the victims.