The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (FRONTEX) has announced that due to the notable increase in migratory pressure on Italy and the island of Lampedusa in particular, Frontex has widened the operational area of Joint Operation Hermes and extended its duration for five more months. This extension aims to strengthen Europe’s border control response capability in the Central Mediterranean.

The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (FRONTEX) Executive Director, Ilkka Laitinen, announced that the decision to extend Hermes Operation was taken in close cooperation with the Italian authorities. The operational command decided to run the Joint Operation Hermes until the end of August 2011, and to extend the operational area to include Sardinia, where Frontex has already deployed aerial assets to strengthen the patrolling capacity of Italian authorities.

Until 23 March 2011, Lampedusa remained the main destination for migrants from Tunisia. According to Frontex, during the previous week alone, 3,230 undocumented persons arrived on the island, bringing the total number of arrivals detected in the whole operational area to 9,098 since Hermes Operation began on 20 February further to Italy's request for assistance due to an extraordinary flow of immigrants from Northern Africa. The majority of migrants are young men but 52 women and more than 240 minors were also detected during Italian-led Hermes. The great majority of migrants who recently arrived in Lampedusa claimed to be of Tunisian nationality.

In addition to one aircraft and two vessels already financed and coordinated by Frontex, one Dutch and one Portuguese plane also arrived in Pantelleria and Sardinia respectively to assist the Italian authorities in strengthening their border control activities. This equipment and 20 experts work in the centres of Bari, Caltanisetta and Crotone. These operational means satisfied the request made by the Italian authorities to Frontex.

Furthermore Frontex is closely monitoring the developments in North Africa and stands ready to assist the Member States operationally if requested. It is also continuously developing additional operational responses for potential rapid deployment throughout the Mediterranean if needed. According to Frontex the cost of the first 40 days of the operation amounts to 2.6 million euro.