Brussels Briefing at the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies
The revisions to Frontex’s regulations will give the agency additional authority as well as new obligations, said Klaus Rösler, head of Frontex’s division for deployments. He stressed that the agency will continue to only provide support for EU member states in protecting the EU’s external borders and will serve as a coordinator for joint border protection operations. Rösler clarified: “Frontex is not a group of border guards, it is not involved in asylum procedures, and it does not make decisions on the repatriation of illegal immigrants or the issuing of visas.” He also emphasized that Frontex sees border protection and the preservation of basic rights as two sides of the same coin.
The spokesperson for migration policy for the Alliance 90/Greens group in the European Parliament, Ska Keller, emphasized that the appointment of a representative for basic rights and the creation of a consultation forum has brought pressure on the European Parliament. However, she criticized the fact that the EP only has limited control over the agency. The EP does have the ability to block Frontex’s budget, but it still lacks effective control over border protection operations. Keller also reminded the participants that technical cooperation with third countries remains problematic because responsibility for border protection often falls to states that do not share the EU’s human rights standards.
Thomas Binder, head of the subsection for EU and International Issues at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, referred to the fact that Germany provided a lot of support for the creation of Frontex. Because of the country’s key role within the EU, it is in Germany’s best interests to better coordinate the protection of Europe’s external borders. He pointed out that the federal government is committed to not cutting funds for EU border protection.
Roderick Parkes, European Union Program Coordinator at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), highlighted the conflict of interest concerning the design of Frontex within the EU’s institutional structure. Member states, the European Commission, Frontex, and the European Parliament all have different conceptions regarding border protection, which makes it very difficult to come to agreement with each other.
The participants were invited by the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Issues at the DGAP to take part in the Brussels Briefing series, which is moderated by Almut Möller, head of the Oppenheim Center.
