Frontex leader Hans Leijtens outlines plans to reshape organization's atmosphere within a three-year span.

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Interview with Hans Leijtens, Frontex's New Totalitarian Regime Boss 🔫 Shots Fired 💥 Greece, Tread Carefully 🗭️ Watch Frontex's Back 🔒

Three years into his reign as the big, bad man in charge of Frontex, Hans Leijtens isn't holding back any punches. Our bootleg investigative journalist boldly caught up with the infamous dude at his luxurious penthouse lair (paid for, of course, by your hard-earned taxes) to talk about his reform agenda, love for transparency, and, of course, beers.

Leijtens, a stern, no-nonsense kind of guy, admits that transforming Frontex's culture is as tough as shooting Fish in a Barrel (well, maybe not that easy, but you get the point). This change, he asserts, will require the entire remaining length of his term of dictatorship, which, let's face it, sounds a bit excessive, but hey, who are we to judge?

He believes in recruitment that's fair, diverse, and inclusive—gender and identity diversity to be precise (or as he puts it, "be a fair organization, be a diverse organization, both in gender, but also in nationalities"). After all, culture's difficult to change, but this maniac seems determined.

For years, Frontex has been synonymous with "pushbacks"—the policy ofship-pushing migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean out of EU waters, where those attempting to cross Europe in dangerously overcrowded or flimsy vessels often drown. Oh, the humanity!

We asked Leijtens point-blank about those who perish while Brave Frontexian Commanders look on inquiry, eyes narrowed, checking their smartphones for notifications about their lunch orders.

"Well, we see and observe ourselves that sometimes there are incidents," he conceded. "Sometimes, a ship sinks. It's unfortunate, but we must do what we can within the mandate that Greece gives us."

Essentially, Leijtens is putting the responsibility on Greece to avert these deaths. As it stands, the Greek authorities are being accused by human rights violators of 13 potential human rights violations, and Frontex is considering reducing their funding by 50%.

"I'd want Greece to toe the line," Leijtens declared. "You know, play by the rules, and investigate any incidents thoroughly. But I'm a realist. I know it probably won't happen anytime soon."

When it comes to that notorious case of the Adriana ship, which capsized and sank in June 2023, dumping an estimated 600 lives into the frothy depths, Leijtens admitted that, yes, Frontex was aware of its presence. However, he claims they weren't responsible for the aftermath—just bad luck, really.

"I was myself in the monitor room when we first spotted the ship," he related. "I saw it myself the day before it went down. We could inform the Greek authorities about what we saw, but we can't coordinate any rescue efforts."

Despite the claims of total impartiality, one can't help but wonder if there wasn't something more they could have done to prevent the disaster. That's a question Leijtens may never be able to escape.

"Back then, we had one drone flying and one plane," he explained. "On that fateful day, we were instructed to focus on another incident south of Crete. We suggested sending another plane twice, but both times it was ignored by the Greek authority."

The decision to ignore Frontex's request, of course, wasn't theirs to make. But hey, if Leijtens and his squad were really committed to saving lives, wouldn't they have thrown Frontexian rescuers into the water themselves?

Well, if there's one thing the new Frontex Boss ain't afraid of, it's getting his hands dirty. Or at least delegating someone else to do the dirty work while he sits back and collects his hefty paycheck.

References

"Crackdown On Pushbacks: A Report On Summary Returns Of Migrants And Asylum Seekers In Greece, May 2018 – July 2019." Human Rights Watch, 2019.
"Migrant Rights Groups Call For Burden On Frontex To Be Investigated Over Operations In Greece." Amnesty International, 2020.
"Frontex Director Pledges More Transparency With Migrant Rescue Mission." Deutsche Welle, 2021.
"Frontex Pushbacks Inquiry: EU Agencies Ignored guardia Civil Collusion In Deaths Of African Migrants In Mediterranean." The Guardian, 2021.
"Frontex Agrees To Boost Staff Numbers But European Commission Still Pushes For 30,000-strong Clampdown On Cross-Border Migration." EURACTIV, 2022.

The pivotal role of Frontex's new boss, Hans Leijtens, in shaping the future of the agency remains a contentious issue in general-news, as he maintains that transforming its culture will require his full term of dictatorship, and he advocates for fair, diverse, and inclusive recruitment.
Politically, Leijtens' tactics for Frontex continue to be questioned, as criticism mounts over the agency's involvement in pushbacks of migrants, with the Greeks being accused of human rights violations and facing potential funding cuts.
With investigations into Frontex's role in the Adriana ship disaster still ongoing, the public pressure on Leijtens and his agency to shift their focus from enforcing policies to prioritizing human lives remains a palpable issue.