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Friday, 13 August 2021 (YJC)_ The EU's border agency is trialling new high-tech surveillance equipment to detect migrant boats because of rapid gains by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
The EU's border agency is trialling new high-tech surveillance equipment to detect migrant boats, just as rapid gains by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan have raised the prospect of a surge in people fleeing to Europe.
A balloon system equipped with cameras is being tested at Alexandroupolis airport near the Greek-Turkish land border in northeastern Greece, and on the island of Limnos, with the aim of giving border officials a clearer view of approaching boats.
Planned before recent Taleban advances cities in Afghanistan, it is part of a wider effort that includes analysis of emerging pressures from the region.
"Of course we are observing and following the developments specifically in Afghanistan and Tunisia which might have an effect on migratory flows towards the European Union," said Frontex spokesperson Piotr Switalski.
"Border surveillance in the maritime area should be greatly improved because of this innovative system," he said.
More than 400 Frontex officials with several dozen vehicles, including some equipped with thermovision technology, as well as eight patrol vessels, are stationed in Greece, which has been on the front line of the migrant crisis.
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