Syrian refugee deported from Greece loses case against EU border agency

The European court of justice dismissed the man’s claim, noting that Frontex was not an agency responsible for asylum processes. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

A Syrian refugee has lost a landmark case against the EU’s border protection agency, Frontex, after he and his family were forcibly deported from Greece before his asylum application was processed.

The ruling is seen as a major blow to efforts to make the operations of Frontex in Greece and other countries more transparent and accountable to the member states who employ them.