EU launches new border surveillance network

The European Parliament endorsed the so-called Eurosur communication network which aims to adopt a new EU border surveillance network . The procedure was taken by the European Parliament pertinent to the boat migrants tragic incident which sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa, in which the death toll passed 300 people. The so-called Eurosur system will allow national EU authorities and the bloc’s border agency Frontex to share surveillance data from satellites and other monitoring systems. It is set to enter into force on December 2 and cover both land and sea borders. European parliamentarians thought the new system will increase their possibilities to prevent cross-border crimes, such as drug trafficking or trafficking in human beings, but also to detect and provide assistance to small migrant boats in distress. In the initial phase, only 18 of the EU’s 28 member states were due to enter the Eurosur network, including Mediterranean nations like Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Other member states were due to join on December 1, 2014. The European Commission has estimated that running costs for the system would amount to 244 million euros (330 million dollars) over the 2014-2020 period.