Securing the EU's borders

In the wake of yet another Mediterranean tragedy which claimed 700 lives, the European Parliament’s Justice, Civil Liberties and Home Affairs Committee today approved the mandate for the European Parliament to start negotiations on the setting-up of an EU Border and Coast Guard Agency. Rapporteur Artis Pabriks MEP managed to secure broad support from virtually all the political groups in record time.

Negotiations with the EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs and the European Commission will start in earnest tomorrow. The clear objective is to finalise these negotiations before this summer so that the Agency will be fully operational by the Autumn.

“The EU needs safer, better-protected external borders as soon as possible. The European Border and Coast Guard is not a silver bullet that can solve the migration crisis that the EU is facing today or restore the trust and functioning of the Schengen zone in one go. Yet, it is the very first step, without which other efforts will bring no result. By introducing the vulnerability assessment as a protective measure, the Agency and the Member States will be able to act in a timely manner. Furthermore, the Agency shall have a rapid reaction pool of 1500 border guards at its disposal which can be deployed in a crisis situation to assist the Member State”, said the Rapporteur.

He continued: “Better management of external EU borders is a precondition to ensure a high level of security and safeguard the free movement and open borders within the European Union. Through the Committee’s Report, we have tried to make the Agency more efficient and more effective when responding to crisis situations at the external borders, including cross-border crime, the smuggling of goods and trafficking in human beings, while improving the power balance between the Member States and the European Parliament, and fully respecting the sovereignty of EU countries."

This new Border and Coast Guard Agency (formerly known as Frontex) will substantially improve the management and protection of the EU's external borders. It will cover aspects of cross-border crime in its risk analysis and will have a role in the return of migrants who do not have the right to asylum. It will also be in charge of search and rescue operations.