The European Commission wants 30,000 Frontex officers to reinforce the European Union’s external borders and expand the agency’s role in returning people who have no legal right to remain in the bloc. The plans, reported by Danish broadcaster DR on Tuesday, 27 October, would also allow Frontex to support the transfer of migrants between two countries outside the EU.
The proposed changes would give the European border and coast guard agency a much larger workforce and a wider role beyond EU territory. They are proposed reforms, not powers already in force.
Frontex could grow to 30,000 officers over 15 years
The 30,000 figure is a long-term staffing target, rather than the immediate recruitment of 30,000 additional guards. According to the Financial Times, the expansion would take place over 15 years, with some 17,000 reserve officers supplied by member states and available to be called upon when needed.
The Commission also wants to make it easier to deploy officers and equipment when there is sudden pressure at the border. Its five-point migration plan, presented on 29 September and detailed on 2 October, proposed reinforcing Frontex’s standing corps, improving monitoring of movements near the external borders and increasing cooperation with countries outside the EU. Member states would remain primarily responsible for controlling their own external borders.
New powers for Frontex returns outside the EU
One of the most significant changes concerns returns and deportations. Frontex already assists EU countries in returning people who have no right to stay. Under the planned mandate, it could also help authorities transfer migrants from one non-EU country to another, including from countries in North Africa to countries of origin elsewhere on the continent.
Euronews reported on 26 October that such operations would need specific agreements with the non-EU countries concerned. The agency could also help organise transfers from return hubs, facilities outside the bloc for people subject to EU return decisions.
These proposals build on separate EU return legislation. On 1 October, the Council of the EU approved new rules allowing member states to establish return hubs through agreements with non-EU countries, subject to conditions including respect for fundamental rights and the principle of non-refoulement. Civil society organisations have called for stronger oversight as Frontex’s activities expand beyond EU territory, according to Euronews.
Denmark and the aftermath of the Ceuta crossings
Denmark is among the EU countries that have called for tighter control of the bloc’s external borders. The demands intensified after the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta, a Spanish city bordering Morocco, at the end of July. DR reported that more than 72,000 people crossed into the enclave during that episode.
The crisis prompted Spain to request additional EU support. An October briefing by the European Parliament’s research service described Spanish requests for more Frontex personnel and operational assistance, as well as emergency support announced by Brussels in September.
The proposed enlargement would give Frontex greater capacity to respond to similar situations, while also extending its role in returns outside the EU. The final rules will depend on the EU legislative process, including scrutiny by the European Parliament and member states.
