The EU has launched its first joint border patrol aimed at stopping illegal immigrants coming to the Canary Islands from Africa, with Brussels denying that it is building a "fortress Europe".
Announcing the move on Friday (10 August), EU justice and home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini said the operation would have "a humanitarian character" as it would combine "saving lives at sea, as well as reducing illegal immigration and combating trafficking in human beings."
"This is t...
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