ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ: ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΔΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΣΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

Maria Dimitrakopoulou 161 European Border and Coast Guard regulation defines a hotspot area as ‘an area in which the host Member State, the Commission, relevant Union agencies and participating Member States cooperate, with the aim of managing an existing or potential disproportionate migratory challenge characterized by a significant in- crease in the number of migrants arriving at the external borders. 39 Secondly, the hotspots constitute a working method allowing the deployment of EU agencies to support member state authorities. 40 The European Agenda on Mi- gration describes this method as follows: “The European Asylum Support Office, Frontex and Europol will work on the ground with the frontline Member States to swiftly identify, register and finger- print incoming migrants. The work of the agencies will be complementary to one another. Those claiming asylum will be immediately channelled into an asylum procedure where EASO support teams will help to process asylum cases as quickly as possible. For those not in need of protection, Frontex will help Member States by coordinating the return of irregular migrants. Europol and Eurojust will assist the host Member State with investigations to dismantle the smuggling and traffick- ing networks”. 41 The objective of this approach is to provide an operational framework for the Commission and the Agencies to concentrate their support (via ‘Migration Man- agement Support Teams’) on the spot where it is most needed, coordinate their interventions and cooperate closely with the authorities of the host Member State, namely Italy and Greece, by providing operational support, so that the lat- ter could fulfill their obligations under EU law and swiftly identify, register and fingerprint incoming migrants, process asylum claims and conduct returns. In this respect, hotspots have been considered as solidarity tools. According to the note, the hotspot approach was also expected to contribute to the implementation of the Relocation scheme under article 78(3), enhance law enforcement analysis on the ground and thereby boost efforts to curb people smuggling, proposed by the European Commission in September 2015 42 . 39. Article 2(10) Regulation (EU) 2016/1624 of 14 September 2016 on the European Border and Coast Guard. 40. Danish Refugee Council, Fundamental rights and the EU hotspot approach, October 2017, 5-6. 41. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, A European Agenda on Migration, COM(2015) 240, 13 May 2015. 42. Council Decisions (EU) 2015/1523 and 2015/1601 of 14 and 22 September 2015 establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece, OJ 2015 L248/80.