EXTERNAL MONITORING OF RETURN OPERATIONS OF THIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS 4. External monitoring of return operations of third country nationals Land operations of return After two sample controls in land operations of return at the Albanian border, from Athens and Thessaloniki respectively, the Ombudsman noticed that during 2017, previous statements of the Independent Authority are still valid regarding the land operations, mainly concerning the inadequacy of the vehicles for transport15. Amongst the inadequacies of the vehicles during 2017, it is noted that toilets do not function, as well as the completely inappropriate seats for transportation of detainees for many hours on end, the particularly narrow space for detention of the immigrants, the problematic air conditioning of the cells etc. It has not yet been possible to make permanent in all the land operations the supply of food and water for those being transported and the availability of first aid kits on the vehicles of transport. A basic recommendation by the Ombudsman remains, which is the supply of appropriate vehicles for transport of detainees or the examination of the operational ability to use tourist buses instead. Joint European return operations (flights) The Ombudsman participated with his staff as monitors in 12 Joint European Operations (flights from Athens international airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”) with the co-ordination of FRONTEX, towards Pakistan and Georgia. During 2017, the non-use of means of restrain without a risk evaluation for its necessity, is marked up as a significant improvement of the procedures followed, in response to the relevant observation by the Ombudsman in his previous annual report, in which he had written that the restraining of detainees was a significant problem, as it occurred mostly with metal handcuffs, as a standard procedure, without individualised assessment.16 More generally, it was noted that the procedures are carried out, in general, with 15 See note 5 above, Annual Report 2015, pages 129-130 16 See above, note 7 19