European Commission Proposes Increasing European Border Guards to 30,000 and Enhancing Their Powers

Brussels -- The European Commission proposed on Tuesday enhancing the powers of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and gradually increasing its staff to 30,000 as part of a plan to tighten control over the EU’s external borders, combat irregular migration, and coordinate the return of migrants who are not entitled to remain in the bloc. In a statement, the Commission said the proposal includes establishing a European Border and Return Reserve comprising 17,000 border guards from member states, deployable as needed, alongside doubling the agency’s staff and strengthening its operational and technical capacities. The statement quoted Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as saying, “Europe will continue to protect its borders,” emphasizing that strengthening Frontex’s powers will enable it to support member states at any time and anywhere needed, including in return operations. According to the Commission, the proposal aims to enable the agency to play a more effective role in coordinating return operations across the EU by establishing a specialized center for collecting and analyzing operational information and supporting planning for these operations, from identifying relevant individuals and advising on voluntary return to implementing returns and providing assistance for reintegration. The proposal also grants Frontex the authority to support non-EU countries in return operations, including organizing and carrying out the transfer of individuals from one third country to another. It also includes the creation of a Rapid Intervention Force that can be deployed within a short timeframe to assist member states in facing crises and emergencies at the external borders, along with an online monitoring and response center tasked with tracking publicly available content on social media and monitoring developments that may pose a threat to border security. The proposal further seeks to enhance information exchange during crises by requiring member states to report within 24 hours any events that could have a significant impact on the EU’s borders through the European Border Surveillance System (Eurosur). In a related development, the Commission proposed a new regulation to digitize return, readmission, and reintegration procedures, aiming to simplify and accelerate the management of these procedures in EU countries by providing a unified digital interface for the stages of the return process. This proposal comes amid growing European calls to strengthen control over the EU’s external borders and take stricter measures to protect them, particularly following the large influx of migrants toward the Spanish city of Ceuta last July, which resulted in casualties. (End) A.R.N. / N.S.A.