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FRONTEX Agency: evaluation and future development - guide
13 February 2008by eub2 -- last modified 14 February 2008
The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (FRONTEX) became operational in October 2005. The Communication presented by the European Commission on 13 February 2008 assesses the results so far, taking into account the period during which the Agency has been operational and making recommendations for measures that can be taken in the short term, within the limits of its current mandate, and outline a long-term vision for the future development of FRONTEX.
SHORT TERM
The potential of CRATE, and the commitments made by Member States, must be exploited to the full for all activities of the Agency
2. Specialised branches
Consideration should be given to the setting up of specialised branches in the relevant geographical areas
3. Relation between joint operations and the EPN
FRONTEX to analyse how semi-permanent joint operations can be merged with the European Patrol Network
4. Risk analysis
Joint risk analysis with Europol, international organisations and relevant third countries, and frequent geographical and/or theme oriented joint risk analysis, with relevant partners, should be encouraged
5. Management of ICONet
Task FRONTEX with the management of ICONet, under the present or another technical platform such as the FRONTEX Information System
6. Management of CIREFI
Task FRONTEX to centralise the exchange of operational information related to illegal immigration
7. Own technical equipment
To ensure the availability of equipment through FRONTEX acquiring its own equipment for border control and surveillance, for instance to be used by the RABIT teams
8. Return
Strengthen the role of FRONTEX regarding return operations – examine the possibility to use CRATE as a means for sharing technical equipment between member States
9. Training
Training offered to border guards should take into account and include relevant provisions of European and international rules on asylum, the law of the sea and fundamental rights. Specialised training courses should therefore be offered by FRONTEX on these aspects, in order to increase the availability of border guards with the necessary competences and contribute to a consistent approach to situations involving search and rescue coordination
10. Research
Implement joint projects aiming at real life operational testing of new technologies, to assess their feasibility and impact on current procedures as border crossing points.
LONGER TERM
1. Schengen evaluation
The mechanism to
perform Schengen evaluations is currently under review. The Commission will
present a proposal to that effect in the second half of 2008. In that
perspective it is clear that FRONTEX could provide added value to such an
evaluation mechanism through its expertise on external border control and
surveillance and on the potential links to its other activities, notably
training and risk analysis
2. Cooperation with third
countries
Priority should be given to strengthened cooperation with those
third countries that have been identified as problem areas through the joint
operations coordinated by FRONTEX. Evaluate a possible extension of the current
FRONTEX mandate allowing the Agency to implement pilot projects with third
countries as beneficiaries.
3. Future operational
coordination
Initiate an in-depth reflection on the long-term strategy,
including issues related to an EU border guard.
4. Border
surveillance
Frontex to take on the role as a hub for information
exchange in a future European border surveillance system and take on the
development of a pre-frontier intelligence picture.
5. Customs and
horizontal integration
Pilot projects at European level could support the
coordination between the activities of national border guard authorities and
national customs authorities. FRONTEX, the Commission and Member States should
explore the possibility of conducting FRONTEX-led joint operations in
coordination with cooperation projects of national customs authorities
Source: European Commission
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