"Frontex ed il rispetto dei diritti umani nelle operazioni congiunte alle frontiere esterne dell’Unione europea"

Frontex, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union, was set up in 2004 to reinforce cooperation between national border authorities. The present research intends to analyze the role of the Agency after the adoption of the new Regulation 1168/2011, which considerably extends the Frontex mandate (inter alia, providing for the creation of European Border Guards and strengthening the role of the Agency in joint operations) and introduces several references for the full respect of fundamental rights in all Frontex activities . The aim is to investigate if the mechanisms introduced to promote and monitor human rights are consistent with the Agency’s obligations to respect human rights, in the light of the recent inquiry promoted by the European Ombudsman. A particular focus will concern the question of the allocation of responsibility among Members States and Frontex in case of violations of human rights during joint operations at sea, and the legal remedies available for individuals.