The European Parliament's Budgets Committee voted today, in favour of a €30 million increase in the 2008 budget for the EU Frontex agency for operational purposes, including missions in the Mediterranean.
The proposal was an initiative of MEP Simon Busuttil (EPP-ED) and was supported by the Socialist Group. As a result of today's vote, the Frontex budget for next year will effectively be doubled from this year's €35m to as much as €70m.
Mr Busuttil said that the Budgets Committee had delivered on its political commitment to help Malta and other Southern Member States on illegal immigration: "The political signal of this vote speaks for itself", he said. "Our aim is to increase the duration of Frontex missions in the Mediterranean, certainly to cover the peak immigration season from the beginning of May through to October. We will not be satisfied with anything less than that."
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