The European Commission presented a proposal, on Tuesday 27 October, to reform Frontex, aiming to strengthen protection of the external borders, support return procedures and improve its crisis response amid hybrid threats, the instrumentalisation of migrants and the emergence of new smuggling networks.
At a press conference, Magnus Brunner, the Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, again highlighted the progress made in addressing irregular movements at the EU’s borders through the Entry/Exit System and the Pact on Migration and Asylum. “The figures are falling, but they are not yet what we expect”, he said, stressing the need to increase returns of irregular migrants and stem irregular flows as early as possible, particularly along the eastern route from Bangladesh to Libya, on which dialogues are under way (see EUROPE 13959/28). “We need to consider adapting our rules”, he said, in particular to “strengthen trust between Member States”.
“The central actor for returns”. Although Frontex already plays a role in return procedures, the proposal seeks to make returns a central, strategic function of the agency. It will have a “dedicated Return Coordination Centre” to collect and analyse operational information and support planning and coordination within the EU. Its support will cover the entire process: early identification, advising the authorities on voluntary return, carrying out operations and assisting reintegration in countries of origin.
Notably, Frontex will be able to provide technical and operational support to third countries, including to “help organise and carry out return operations from one third country to another”, subject to “the conclusion of an agreement with the third country concerned”.
These will be international agreements concluded by the EU under the usual interinstitutional procedure. Frontex will be able to conclude bilateral “working arrangements”, but these will be limited to “technical assistance” and will not permit return operations from a third country, a Commission official explained.
“It is less about the third country telling Frontex what to do, but rather the third country telling Frontex what they need”, another official clarified, saying that the agency would make its material and logistical support conditional on compliance with “fundamental rights (...) standards”: if it considers that these are not being respected, it may refuse support or even withdraw.
Crisis response. Three months after the migration crisis in Ceuta, the Commission wants Frontex to be more agile and responsive to sudden mass arrivals at the EU’s external borders. The agency will therefore have a “Quick Reaction Force”, deployable at very short notice (within 24 hours) and “only” at the request of a Member State facing an emergency.
Member States will also have to report within 24 hours any events with “potential significant impact on EU borders” via the EUROSUR network.
The reform also creates an “Online Monitoring and Response Centre” with an explicit mandate to monitor public content on social media, detect developments relevant to external border management and support action against illegal content linked to risks to border security.
Frontex should thus become a “trusted flagger” under the Digital Services Act (DSA), enabling it to flag to platforms as a priority content posing a threat to the integrity of the borders. The request is unusual because this status should, in principle, be granted by a national Digital Services Coordinator, and because the DSA is intended to regulate the moderation of illegal content. An EU official nevertheless considered that monitoring information liable to fuel disinformation and dangerous departures “fits well within the logic of the DSA”.
These measures should “complement” the future emergency response framework currently being considered by the Commission (see EUROPE 13939/3), Mr Brunner acknowledged, while noting that “the details [of that framework] have not yet been determined”.
Increased resources. To achieve these objectives, the Commission plans to increase the Frontex standing corps to 30,000 officers. This will involve doubling the agency’s own personnel from 3,000 to 6,000, alongside 7,000 officers seconded by Member States, bringing the total to 13,000. A new “European border and return reserve” of 17,000 officers, mainly national personnel “trained up to European standards” who remain at the disposal of Member States, will complete the arrangements.
The increase will be gradual, taking place “over two MFF cycles” and therefore extending beyond 2034, an EU official said.
The Commission also plans to facilitate access to “state-of-the-art” equipment: Frontex will be able to buy, lease or jointly own equipment, take part in joint procurement with Member States and act as a central purchasing body, including for “digital and AI-enabled tools”.
The proposal forms part of the draft Frontex budget for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, covering 2028-2034, which stands at €11.8 billion – almost double the current budget.
Asked whether such an increase was justified when the agency had not spent all the funding allocated to it in 2024 and 2025, Magnus Brunner said the proposal was consistent with the “strong demand” from Member States to strengthen Frontex. “The budget must reflect what is being asked of us”, he concluded.
At the time of going to press, the Commission’s full proposal had not yet been made public. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)