The International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) welcomes the European Ombudsman’s recent decision following its inquiry into the European Commission’s administration of EU-funded border operations in Greece.
This landmark inquiry—initiated on 7 November 2024 in response to a joint complaint submitted by the border migration justice collective, Legal Centre Lesvos, Equal Rights Beyond Borders, Mobile Info Team for refugees in Greece, and HIAS Greece, with the support of respected investigative and research organisations including Border Violence Monitoring Network, Forensic Architecture, and Lighthouse Relief—sheds critical light on the EU’s role in facilitating and overseeing operations at Europe’s borders.
The Ombudsman’s findings underscore serious institutional shortcomings and a troubling pattern of inaction by the Commission in the face of persistent human rights violations. We strongly echo the Ombudsman’s call for the European Commission to adopt the four key ‘suggestions for improvement’ and to take urgent, transparent steps to ensure that EU funding does not enable practices that violate fundamental rights.
We commend the tireless efforts of the civil society actors and researchers who brought these violations to light and reaffirm our commitment to advocating for accountability, transparency, and the protection of migrant and refugee rights at Europe’s borders.
