The European Commission officially launched its European Border and Coast Guard Agency on Thursday, less than a year after it was first proposed by EC President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The launch event took place at the Kapitan Andreevo Border Checkpoint at the Bulgarian external border with Turkey and included a presentation of the vehicles, equipment and teams of the new Agency.
Building on the foundations of Frontex, the Agency has been created to closely monitor the EU’s external borders and work together with member states to “quickly identify and address any potential security threats to the EU’s external borders,” according to an official press release.
MILESTONE
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, stated: “Today is a milestone in the history of European border management. From now onwards, the external EU border of one member state is the external border of all member states – both legally and operationally.
“In less than one year we have established a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard system, turning into reality the principles of shared responsibility and solidarity among the member states and the Union,” continued Avramopoulos.
“This is exactly the European response that we need for the security and migration challenges of the 21st century.”
EXPANDED ROLE
Under the new mandate, the Agency’s role and activities have been significantly expanded, according to the official press release.
“The Agency’s permanent staff will be more than doubled and the Agency will be able to purchase its own equipment and deploy them in border operations at short notice,” it added.
NO SHORTAGES
“A rapid reserve pool of at least 1,500 border guards and a technical equipment pool will be put at the disposal of the Agency – meaning there will no longer be shortages of staff or equipment for Agency operations.”
“The European Border and Coast Guard will now ensure the implementation of Union standards of border management through periodic risk analysis and mandatory vulnerability assessments.”
ROLL-OUT TIMELINE
- October 6, 2016: new Agency is legally operational
- December 7, 2016: rapid reaction pool and the rapid reaction equipment pool become operational
- By December 2016: 50 new recruitments in the Agency
- January 7, 2017: return pools become operational
- January-March 2017: first vulnerability assessments
Read more here.
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