The European Union will reform Frontex again in 2026!
The European Commission will propose new legislation in 2026 to reform Frontex, the EU border agency, with the aim of strengthening its presence, role and responsibilities, an EC spokesman said. The commission aims to "strengthen Frontex, further improve border security and strengthen EU cooperation in the face of evolving threats," the spokesman said.
Frontex is becoming an increasingly important agency for EU countries, as migration and border management remain politically charged in the mainstream political debate. The agency manages the EU's borders for the passage of migrants, but also to combat cross-border crime linked to the illegal trafficking of a wide range of goods.
"It started out being more of an information hub, a coordination mechanism, and only in 2019 did the mandate [of Frontex] become executive," the agency's executive director, Hans Leijtens, said in an interview. "So just six years ago we went from being this hub between member states to actually having our own uniformed, armed European staff."
Headquartered in Warsaw, the agency supports EU member states in managing their borders by providing personnel, resources and equipment. On the ground, it helps implement EU rules, such as the migration and asylum pact, a set of laws adopted in the previous mandate. Frontex also engages with non-EU countries through ad hoc cooperation agreements.
The new reform is expected to see a significant increase in border control staff, resources and equipment, but also more roles for the agency in future border management legislation and operational support in non-EU countries.
The European Commission presented new legislation on migrant returns this February. Before the law was published, several EU countries expressed their willingness to give Frontex a greater role in returns and potentially a broader presence in non-EU countries.
Frontex's role in returns could be part of its new reform. For now, the agency can provide "operational and technical support" when an EU country requests it, with the aim of repatriating rejected asylum seekers or foreigners without a right to stay.
Frontex agents can be involved at different stages of the process, both when the return is "voluntary" (the returnee travels as a regular passenger on a commercial flight) and when it is "forced" (where the returnee is put on a flight and escorted to his/her country of origin).
"After we return people, we have a so-called post-return program, which aims to help people restart their lives. And for this, we hire NGOs to carry this out on our behalf with European funding from Frontex," Leijtens said.
In 2022, Frontex supported the return of 24,850 people, 40% of whom returned voluntarily. In 2023, its involvement increased to 58%, according to the NGO Statewatch.
In 2019, the reform approved an increase in staff to 10,000 officers by 2027. "Right now we are still in the preparation phase, so in 2027 we should have 10,000 [agents], to be deployed in 2028. And this consists of three categories: our Frontex staff, short-term secondments from the Member State and long-term secondments. Of these [10,000], 3,000 should be Frontex staff themselves," Leijtens said.
According to the agency's website, Frontex counted over 2,100 staff members in 2023 in total. But the number has increased significantly in recent years: currently, Frontex has 8,000 officers, of whom 1,500 are directly employed by the agency - the rest are staff members from member states on short- and long-term assignments, a Frontex spokesperson said.
The new reform will see staff numbers increase significantly. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed tripling the agency's staff by 2027 - meaning a target of up to 30,000 officers. But there will be no timetable for when Frontex will reach those numbers, a European Commission spokesman said. A Frontex spokesman said it was "too early to discuss any details" when asked to comment on the numbers.
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