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EU slams Sweden over forced deportations

TT/The Local/pvs
TT/The Local/pvs - [email protected]
EU slams Sweden over forced deportations

Sweden has been criticized by the EU's border control authority for failing to meet its code of conduct in regard to the monitoring of forced deportations.

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The EU borders agency Frontex is now threatening to suspend cooperation with Sweden, which would increase the cost of forced deportations considerably, reported Sveriges Radio (SR) on Friday.

"We have assessed that our system works, but the evaluation shows that this is not the case," said Sören Clerton at the National Police Agency (Rikspolisstyrelsen) borders unit.

Frontex's new code of conduct requires that participating countries have an effective monitoring system. Among other things, independent observers should be on board the aircraft. Sweden has been named as one of the EU countries which does not meet these requirements.

Sweden has carried out some 90 forced deportations in specially chartered aircraft in cooperation with other EU countries. The cost of the charters, with destinations such as Kosovo, Nigeria and Iraq, have been met by Frontex.

Following Frontex's criticism, Sweden now runs the risk of having to fund these deportations itself, which could increase costs considerably.

Sweden is one of 13 EU countries which lacks an effective independent monitoring system, according to the Frontex report. According to Sören Clerton, the National Police Agency has sought cooperation with both the Red Cross and Amnesty International.

"We have been informed that they are not prepared to do it," he told SR.

Clerton added that the agency must now come up with other alternatives in order to meet the monitoring requirement.

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