Gil Arias Fernández

In his role as the Deputy Executive Director the suspect exerts the highest degree of influence and agenda setting power within the agency. (See Frontex Report, Structure).

The suspect was part of the establishment of Triton in collaboration with the European Commission and Italy. In June 2014, the suspect was present at a meeting with an informal G6 group of interior ministers from the six largest EU countries where the Europeanization of MN was demanded from Italy and all participants agreed on the fact that the operation represented a pull factor for forced migrants and refugees. The suspect stated several times that Mare Nostrum was a pull factor and that the interception of vessels in Libyan water should function as a deterrence for migrants. (See Spain Report, The Spanish Government and Mare Nostrum/ Triton and Frontex Report, Public Statements).

The launch of the Frontex-coordinated Operation Triton aimed at reinforcing the security of the EU’s external borders and was decided by the suspect as part of the Frontex Management Board. The suspect was part of the development of the concrete structure, mission, and planning through cooperation between the Management Board of Frontex, the Commission, the Council, and Frontex Senior Staff. (See Frontex Report, End of MN / Start of JOINT OPERATION TRITON / Thémis).

The suspect as part of the Frontex Management Board Frontex commonly argues that it wants to remain untraceable (especially to drug dealers and illegal smugglers) as the justification to deny access to its documents. The lack of transparency backs concerns regarding Frontex purposely staying in areas of the Mediterranean which avoided places where it was likely to encounter migrants in distress(See Frontex Report, Lack of Transparency).

The suspect as part of Frontex’s Management Board  rhetorically initiated the criminalization of NGOs by stating that NGOs were collaborating with human traffickers. (See Frontex Report, Implication in Criminal Policies).