ORAC
7th Apr 2016, 06:49
EU plans drone fleet to track migrants ? POLITICO (http://www.politico.eu/article/european-union-fleet-of-drones-to-track-migrants-refugees/)
Drones controlled by the EU will soon be flying across the continent under a European Commission plan to keep track of migrants arriving on Mediterranean shores. The Commission says it needs its own fleet of remotely piloted aircraft systems to spot small refugee boats, as well as to enforce emissions standards and monitor ship safety elsewhere in Europe.
Advanced discussions in the Council of Ministers have centered on a request for an annual budget of €22 million to help set up the EU fleet. The plan is to fit drones with video, infrared sensors and chemical “sniffers” for detecting ships that pollute, according to a Commission official.
Europe’s existing satellite and transponder-based technology is useless for tracking the flood of refugees crossing the Mediterranean, said Christine Berg, head of unit in the Commission’s directorate-general for mobility and transport. Satellite images can take minutes or hours to update, making the technology too slow. Commercial vessels are fitted with transponders, but the smaller, makeshift craft favored by migrants and asylum-seekers and the people-smugglers who often transport them are not.
Europe’s drone-mounted cameras will monitor migrant movement during daylight hours, while infrared sensors will help track them at night, Berg told an industry gathering in Brussels. Pilots will be located in Lisbon, at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), according to the Commission plan.............
With the EU institutions ostensibly practicing austerity and cutting administrative budgets, drones are one of the few growth areas in Brussels. The proposal has therefore created excitement among Commission officials, who see the fleet as a path to promotion. The planned upgrade of EMSA is taking place in parallel to an upgrade of both the European Fisheries Control Agency and Frontex – all triggered by the migration crisis...............
Drones controlled by the EU will soon be flying across the continent under a European Commission plan to keep track of migrants arriving on Mediterranean shores. The Commission says it needs its own fleet of remotely piloted aircraft systems to spot small refugee boats, as well as to enforce emissions standards and monitor ship safety elsewhere in Europe.
Advanced discussions in the Council of Ministers have centered on a request for an annual budget of €22 million to help set up the EU fleet. The plan is to fit drones with video, infrared sensors and chemical “sniffers” for detecting ships that pollute, according to a Commission official.
Europe’s existing satellite and transponder-based technology is useless for tracking the flood of refugees crossing the Mediterranean, said Christine Berg, head of unit in the Commission’s directorate-general for mobility and transport. Satellite images can take minutes or hours to update, making the technology too slow. Commercial vessels are fitted with transponders, but the smaller, makeshift craft favored by migrants and asylum-seekers and the people-smugglers who often transport them are not.
Europe’s drone-mounted cameras will monitor migrant movement during daylight hours, while infrared sensors will help track them at night, Berg told an industry gathering in Brussels. Pilots will be located in Lisbon, at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), according to the Commission plan.............
With the EU institutions ostensibly practicing austerity and cutting administrative budgets, drones are one of the few growth areas in Brussels. The proposal has therefore created excitement among Commission officials, who see the fleet as a path to promotion. The planned upgrade of EMSA is taking place in parallel to an upgrade of both the European Fisheries Control Agency and Frontex – all triggered by the migration crisis...............