Syrian family sues Frontex over illegal pushbacks in landmark EU court case

The case could reshape Frontex’s operations if the court rules that the EU's border agency failed to monitor fundamental rights compliance.

Transcript

00:00A Syrian family wants to hold Frontex accountable for human rights violations and illegal pushback.

00:07Back in 2016, the family arrived in Greece, where their asylum application was registered.

00:13However, just 11 days later, Frontex and Greek authorities forcibly placed them on a flight

00:19to Turkey without processing their asylum request or issuing a return decision.

00:25On Tuesday, the case arrived at the Grand Chamber of the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

00:55Here is a case before a formation of 3 or 5 judges, but if it refers the case to the

01:03Grand Chamber, that means that 15 judges will hear the case.

01:07And it shows that the court acknowledges the importance of the question before it.

01:14The case has both legal and social significance, because it has the potential to set a crucial

01:20legal precedent.

01:21The court will determine the responsibility of Frontex to uphold human rights before,

01:26during and after border operations.

01:30Euronews contacted Frontex's spokesperson for a reaction, while he did not want to talk

01:35about the details of the case as it is still ongoing, but insisted that the responsibility

01:40lies with the member states.

01:43Frontex requires member states to confirm that individuals for whom the agency's return

01:48support is requested have enforceable return decisions in place.

01:54Spokesperson Krzysztof Borowski told Euronews.

01:58The decision is expected at the end of the year.