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<p>The situation in the Mediterranean is deeply distressing. So far this year a record
150,000 migrants have attempted the perilous crossing and more than 3,000 are estimated
to have died, compared to 700 in the whole of 2013. Traffickers are placing more and
more vulnerable people on unseaworthy boats on the dishonest basis that all will be
rescued and taken to Italy. This is why all EU Member States support the difficult
decision Italy has taken to phase out its' Mare Nostrum' operation.</p><p>Frontex
Operation ‘Triton’commenced on 1 November 2014 and will last at least until the end
of the year. We expect the objectives of the operation to sit within the remit of
Frontex: external border security; operational cooperation; exchange of information,
identification of risks and threats and training. Search and Rescue remains outside
the competence of the EU or its Agencies, including Frontex. The air and maritime
assets of the Member States deployed in the operation will respond to any emergency
operation that arises, in accordance with the regulation establishing rules for the
surveillance of the external sea borders which was adopted in May 2014.</p><p>The
operational area of Triton is likely to include the eastern and southern approaches
to Southern Italy as well as the maritime approaches to the south of the islands of
Sicily and Sardinia. Frontex operations are very flexible and these patrolling areas
may change in response to irregular migration flows across the Central Mediterranean
area.</p><p>The technical and human resources to support Operation Triton will be
made available by the Member States and are likely to include surveillance aircraft
and maritime patrol vessels as well as shore-based screening and debriefing teams.</p><p>National
Coordination Centres (NCCs) have been established in the Member States at the southern
and eastern external borders of the Schengen area and others are opening in the course
of 2014. The Eurosur electronic network that enables communication between the National
Coordination Centres (NCCs) and between the NCCs and Frontex is already functioning
and is being rolled out in all Schengen states during the course of 2014. The quality
of national situational pictures and the European Situational Picture for the external
borders is expected to improve as a result.</p><p>Eurosur also seeks to improve the
surveillance capabilities of the Schengen Member States: Frontex have reported an
encouraging identification of a migrant vessel as a result of a trial using satellite
technology. Frontex has also encouraged Member States to look at the possibility of
using ultra-lite aircraft and drone technology to enhance their border surveillance
capability. There remain a number of technical, legal and budgetary constraints that
need to be overcome before Member States might be able to make such technologies available
to Frontex operations on a regular basis.</p><p> </p>
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