Closing Europe’s Borders Becomes Big Business

Closing Europe’s Borders Becomes Big Business

As austerity policies squeeze European economies, defense contractors profit from anti-immigrant furor

by Apostolis Fotiadis and Claudia Ciobanu

ATHENS/WARSAW - The European Union is implementing a new border management system with tougher migration control the core aim. Major security and weapons companies are already reaping the benefits.
 

A detention camp at Evros in Greece. The placard an inmate holds up says ‘Guantanamo’. (Credit: Nikos Pilos/IPS) Frontex, the EU border agency, has financed major weapons and security equipment producers to present their equipment in demonstrations. European national border guards have participated in these demonstrations as potential customers, IPS learns.

Frontex confirmed to IPS that the agency has been paying weapons and security equipment manufacturers to participate in demonstrations of equipment which national agencies attended as potential customers.

“In the case of companies Lockheed Martin, FAST Protect AG, L-3 Communications, FLIR Systems, SCOTTY Group Austria, Diamond Airborne Sensing and Inmarsat, it (the reimbursement) was 30,000 euros,” the agency told IPS in an emailed response.

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