The Commission acknowledged, on Wednesday 5 August, that the new budget for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (also known as Frontex) following the agreement of the Heads of State and Government on 21 July (see EUROPE 12532/2) presented difficulties and would require adjustments, in particular to compensate for the financial loss for the purchase of major equipment.
While German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has said several times recently that he is concerned about the cut at a time when the Agency's missions are set to expand, particularly on returns, a Commission source said the reduction in Frontex's budget will mean “reviewing the budgeting for certain areas of activity and tasks” of the Agency.
It will be “5.9 billion compared to the 10 billion initially planned”, the German minister said last week at a press conference with his Swiss counterpart. A decrease that the Commission did not specify, indicating that in its proposals for 2018 it had not allocated specific resources to the Frontex agency.
The 21 July agreement preserves, in any event, the capacity of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency to fulfil its new mandate, including in the area of returns, argues the Commission, which explains that the reduction in the envelope will mainly affect “the acquisition of major equipment”.
But the strengthening of the border and visa management instrument decided elsewhere (and endowed with €4.6 billion ) could partly compensate for this loss for Frontex: the capacity of the Member States to invest in this type of equipment and make it available to Frontex would effectively be strengthened.
The Commission also points out that it is always possible, depending on the situation, to request temporary increases in the Agency's budget in the event of a rise in operational demands. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)