Τhe establishment of an independent European mechanism for the external control of forced return operations was decided at Nafplio-Greece from the Ombudsmen of ten Member States. The aim of this new mechanism will be the defense of the fundamental rights, the enshrined of transparency and legality, as well as, the establishment of accountability of those involved in such operations.

The meeting took place on 22 and 23 of May at the premises of the University of Harvard at Nafplio. The initiative was taken by the Greek Ombudsman Mr. A. Pottakis in collaboration with the Ombudsmen of other ten member states and the support of the Council of Europe. The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ombudsmen of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, as well as, members of the Council of Europe. Two preparatory meetings were preceded. The first took place in Nafplio on October of 2018 and the second one in Athens on February 2019. There were also informative meetings of Mr. Pottakis with representatives of European institutions and more specifically from the European Union, the European Council and the services of Frontex and Fundamental Rights Agency.