Frontex

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex (from French: Frontières extérieures for "external borders"), is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, exercising in coordination with the border and coast guards of member states the border control of the European Schengen Area, a task within the area of freedom, security and justice domain.

This article is about the combined European Border and Coast Guard, composed of member states' relevant authorities as well as the EU's corresponding agency. For present rules and regulations pertaining to the geographic area in question, see Schengen Area. For the 1985 agreement that initiated border cooperation, see Schengen Agreement.

Frontex
The logo of Frontex

The section of Warsaw Spire which houses Frontex's seat
Agency overview
Formed3 October 2004 (2004-10-03) (original)
6 October 2016 (2016-10-06) (as European Border and Coast Guard Agency)
Preceding Agency
  • European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders
JurisdictionEuropean Union
HeadquartersWarsaw, Poland
Employees2000+ (2022)
10,000 (2024/2027, proposed)
Annual budget€ 754.4 million (2022)
Agency executives
  • Hans Leijtens, Executive Director
  • Aija Kalnaja, Deputy Executive Director for Standing Corps Management
  • Lars Gerdes, Deputy Executive Director for Returns and Operations
  • Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director for Information Management and Processes
  • Alexander Fritsch, Chairman of the Management Board
  • Neville Xuereb, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board
Parent AgencyEuropean Union
Key document
Websitefrontex.europa.eu
Map
Warsaw
Frontex (European Union)

Frontex was established in 2004 as the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders and is primarily responsible for coordinating border control efforts. In response to the European migrant crisis of 2015–2016, the European Commission proposed on 15 December 2015 to extend Frontex's mandate and to transform it into a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard Agency. On 18 December 2015, the European Council roundly supported the proposal, and after a vote by the European Parliament, the European Border and Coast Guard was officially launched on 6 October 2016 at the Bulgarian external border with Turkey.

Frontex's budget has increased from the €143 million for 2015 to €543 million for 2021, and the staff of the agency is planned to reach 10,000 by 2027.

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