Dutchman Hans Leijtens was appointed as the new Executive Director of Frontex at the board meeting held on 20 December at the agency’s headquarters, Frontex said in a statement.
Hans Leijtens will join the European Border and Coast Guard Agency for a five-year term, succeeding the current Acting Executive Director, Aija Kalnaja, who took up the post in July 2022.
Following a recruitment process, the new Executive Director was appointed by the Frontex Management Board based on a shortlist provided by the Commission and after a hearing in the European Parliament on 30 November. At the beginning of December, the coordinators of the Committee on Civil Liberties had expressed their preference for the Dutchman (see EUROPE 13078/24).
Since 2019, Lieutenant General Leijtens has been Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, an organisation of more than 7,000 people. “He holds a PhD in public administration and has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Among his previous positions were Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee South District, Commander of Contingent Command in Afghanistan and, from 2011, Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee”, adds Frontex.
Aija Kalnaja, meanwhile, is under investigation by OLAF, Lighthouse Reports, Mediapart and Der Spiegel reported late last week. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)