EU Court of Justice halves costs claimed by Frontex to transparency activists The General Court of the EU has ruled that Frontex's costs claims against transparency activists were excessive, setting € 10,500 as recoverable costs. Frontex was seeking to recuperate almost €24,000 in legal fees after winning an EU general court case against transparency activists Luisa Izuzquiza and Arne Semsrott. The campaigners had sought access to the name, flag and type of each vessel deployed by Frontex in the central Mediterranean. Frontex had refused their request citing security issues and was supported by a CJEU ruling in November 2019. The European Parliament has called on Frontex to withdraw its demand for the legal fees, underlying its potential chilling effect on civil society. The Parliament also voted to postpone the closure of Frontex’s accounts for the financial year 2019 pending further clarifications on a series of issues. In January 2021 the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament set up a Frontex Scrutiny Working Group to look into allegations around the EU's border security agency's role in the illegal pushbacks. Italian prosecutors dismiss charges against Carola Rackete On 19 May, the Public Prosecutor of Agrigento, Sicily, dismissed the case against Carola Rackete, the commander of the Sea Watch 3 ship, who was accused of resistance against a warship almost two years ago. The facts date back to the night of 29 June 2019, when Carola entered the Port of Lampedusa invoking the state of necessity as she could no longer guarantee safety on board to the 42 people rescued. A police patrol boat tried to stop her twice and the captain was arrested on charges of "resistance or violence against a warship", a crime that includes a sentence of between three and ten years. The prosecutors of Agrigento maintained that she acted out of a state of necessity and had the duty to bring the migrants to a safe harbour.