Greek Government requested on 24 October from Frontex the deployment of Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs) to assist Greece in controlling its external land border with Turkey. This is the first time since the creation of the Agency in 2005 that Frontex has deployed the RABIT teams, a group of specialised border guards made available by 27 EU countries to deal with emergency situations at the EU’s external borders.

On 24 October, the EU Agency for the Management of the Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (Frontex) received a request from the Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Christos Papoutsis to deploy Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs) as well as operational means to increase the control and surveillance levels at Greece’s external border with Turkey.

This request follows the steadily increase on the number of irregular migrants crossing the border in recent time, which made the situation increasingly dramatic, particularly at the 12,5 kilometres stretch near the Greek town of Orestiada. This situation has led Greece to account for 90% of all detections of illegal border crossings to the EU.

As reported by the Agency, a team of Frontex staff was in its way to the Greek/Turkish land border on 25 October to assess the situation in view of Minister Papoutsis’ request. The Agency will then decide on the amount of officers and the kind technical means which will be needed to effectively assist the Greek authorities in strengthening this external EU border and act swiftly to provide the assistance that this Member State has requested. Frontex will take immediate action of reorganising experts and assets being present in the area within the framework of Poseidon Joint Operation.

Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABITs)

The Rapid Border Intervention Teams were created in 2007 as a mechanism to provide rapid operational assistance to Member States facing a situation of urgent and exceptional pressure at points of their external borders. These teams will take actions in cases of large numbers of third-country nationals trying to enter in an irregular way on the territory, as it has been the case for the first time at the Greek-Turkish border.

In this occasion the Teams, coordinated by Frontex, will be deployed at the external border and will ensure mutual assistance between Member States of the European Union; they will act under the authority of Greece and will be in place for a limited period of time. This first RABITs intervention happens a few months from the Commission's proposal for strengthening Frontex border management activities in border management.