Today, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, hosted a visit by EU Commission Vice President for Promoting our European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.
Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri briefed Vice President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson about the progress in implementation of the European Border and Coast Guard Regulation which entered into force last December. The guests also paid a visit to the Frontex Situation Centre, European Monitoring Room and Frontex Operational Coordination Centre.
“I’m grateful that Vice President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson visit Frontex at such an important moment for us. I am glad that you had an opportunity to meet with the staff of Frontex who are the real force behind the success of this agency and I am very proud to say this,” said Fabrice Leggeri.
“We have already made headway with the creation of the Frontex border corps. We’ve launched the recruitment procedure of the first 700 officers and received an astonishing 7500 applications. This is more than 10 candidates per post. Such interest helped us select high quality officers to this first European uniformed service.”
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Vice President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson visit Frontex
2020-02-03
The regulation provided Frontex with new responsibilities and tools to work together with EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries to manage their external borders.
Vice President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson spoke about the importance of the development of the standing corps and its role in increasing the capacity at EU borders.
“The European Border and Coast Guard provides invaluable support to Member States in protecting Europe’s external borders. The thousands of men and women that will soon don a European uniform are a tangible expression of European solidarity - the recognition that protecting our common borders is a common task. I thank all the staff - present and future - who are working at the service of our Union. Looking forward, the Agency must now graduate into the fully fledged border force Europe’s citizens expect their Union to deliver for them. The EU’s next long-term budget must reflect this ambition - something I will spare no efforts in reminding Member States,” said Vice President Schinas.
Commissioner Johansson said: “A strong external border goes hand-in-hand with freedom of movement inside Europe. This is why we need border management fit for the 21st century: effective, modern, and fully respectful of fundamental rights. That’s what the European Border and Coast Guard will deliver and we can already see the Agency’s progress in putting it in place. It will be a key element of an end-to-end system we’ll propose in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, linking to effective and coherent asylum and return procedures meeting those who arrive.”
Vice President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson spoke about the importance of the development of the standing corps and its role in increasing the capacity at EU borders.
“The European Border and Coast Guard provides invaluable support to Member States in protecting Europe’s external borders. The thousands of men and women that will soon don a European uniform are a tangible expression of European solidarity - the recognition that protecting our common borders is a common task. I thank all the staff - present and future - who are working at the service of our Union. Looking forward, the Agency must now graduate into the fully fledged border force Europe’s citizens expect their Union to deliver for them. The EU’s next long-term budget must reflect this ambition - something I will spare no efforts in reminding Member States,” said Vice President Schinas.
Commissioner Johansson said: “A strong external border goes hand-in-hand with freedom of movement inside Europe. This is why we need border management fit for the 21st century: effective, modern, and fully respectful of fundamental rights. That’s what the European Border and Coast Guard will deliver and we can already see the Agency’s progress in putting it in place. It will be a key element of an end-to-end system we’ll propose in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, linking to effective and coherent asylum and return procedures meeting those who arrive.”