EU border chief pledges transparency, no illegal pushbacks

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The new executive director of European Union border agency Frontex says he will work at ensuring illegal pushbacks of migrants trying to reach Europe don’t take place under his watch. Hans Leijtens’ promise came on Thursday. He was appointed as a replacement for Fabrice Leggeri who resigned last year following media allegations that the agency was involved in pushbacks. A report by the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog into Frontex later concluded that employees from the agency were involved in covering up pushbacks of migrants from Greece to Turkey. Leijtens’ nomination comes as the 27 EU member countries struggle to make progress in discussions over a long-delayed overhaul of the bloc’s asylum system proposed by the EU’s executive arm more than two years ago.