In the corridors of the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, Fabrice Leggeri came to have a coffee, Wednesday, May 4. Some believe that he was in the region for personal reasons, he who is a native of Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin). The man who headed the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, until April 29 would have taken the opportunity to discuss with MEPs, in particular the former ministers of Nicolas Sarkozy, Nadine Morano and Brice Hortefeux ( Les Républicains), but also the spokesperson for Reconquête! and defector from the National Rally (RN), Nicolas Bay. Figures among those who have publicly supported him since he was forced to resign after seven years at the head of the richest European agency.
“He has a fairly solid reasoning even if he is not very satisfied to be forced to resign”reports Brice Hortefeux. “I met him quickly in the corridors”testifies, in turn, Nicolas Bay, who says he is convinced that Mr. Leggeri is “the object of a very political cabal”. The boss of Frontex is “persecuted”also had tweetedon April 29, the MEP and interim president of the RN, Jordan Bardella. “This crisis should be an opportunity to remove certain ambiguities about the role of Frontex, adds M. Hortefeux. Is its role to protect the borders or those who want to come? »
All endorse the defense of Mr. Leggeri, detailed in a letter sent to his teams on April 29: “Over the past two years, quietly but effectively, a storytelling has taken over [selon laquelle] Frontex should be transformed into a sort of human rights body monitoring what member states do at their external borders (…). My vision is and has always been that Frontex is, through its operational corps of border guards, an agency that supports the Member States. (…) This vision is no longer supported at the political level. This is why I made the decision to resign yesterday. »
A story that offends some observers. “Mr. Leggeri presents things as a kind of philosophical struggle over the role of the agency and you can hardly hear it”says a French government source. “At Frontex, we cannot choose between fundamental rights and border protection”affirms, for her part, Anna Garphult, Swedish representative on the agency’s board of directors.
“Lack of loyalty”
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