Frontex: more staff and a rapid reaction force. Deportations from non-EU countries
Among the other new measures in the proposal, which has already attracted criticism, is the establishment of a Co-ordination Centre for the repatriation of people
from our correspondent Beda Romano
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BRUSSELS – Three months on from the events in Ceuta, the European Commission yesterday proposed a further strengthening of Frontex, the European agency responsible for protecting the Union’s external borders. Among other things, the legislative proposal put forward by the European Commission provides for the establishment of a Return Coordination Centre for people without the right of residence on European territory, as well as the creation of a rapid reaction force.
“Today we are proposing that Frontex should become the European Union’s key player in the field of returns,” the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner. “It will be able to act more swiftly, thanks to a rapid reaction force that can intervene within 24 hours and identify risks in advance, before an incident escalates into a crisis.” Frontex was established in 2004 and was already strengthened during the 2015–2016 migration crisis.
The European Commission’s initiative comes after 70,000 people suddenly arrived in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Morocco, last July. Around 70 people died on that occasion. The crisis was resolved when the vast majority of people returned to Moroccan territory. The tragedy in Ceuta provoked a strong reaction from some Member States. In a letter to the European Commission, 22 governments (including the Italia government) called for a further tightening of migration policies.
In practical terms, Brussels is proposing the establishment of a coordination centre for the return of people who do not have the right of residence within the EU. Frontex will be tasked with ‘proactively coordinating and organising returns throughout the European Union, whilst always taking into account the needs of Member States’. The European agency will be able to organise deportations from non-European countries to other non-European countries, the European Commission has clarified.
The issue of returns has become a sensitive one. Many European governments want to speed up the deportation process. In 2025, Frontex has already helped repatriate 63,500 people, accounting for 43 per cent of returns carried out across Europe last year. Among other things, the EU agency has facilitated the organisation of 220 charter flights. Brussels has given assurances that ‘Frontex has a clearly defined system in place to ensure that fundamental rights are respected in the context of its operations’.
