29/05/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) announced on Friday 29 May that 265 candidates from 21 member states had agreed to become the first officers of the permanent corps responsible for guarding the European Union's external borders, the first uniformed police service of the European Union, it said in a statement. These officers will begin their online training in mid-June and will participate in a physical training programme later this year. This programme "will ensure that officers have the necessary skills to work together in a particular operational area, in full respect of Community law and applicable ethical standards", emphasised Frontex. Several stages of recruitment should enable the agency to have a quasi-permanent staff of 10,000, compared with 1,500 today, possibly as early as 2024. (SP)