The current migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border has again brought the topic of FRONTEX’s role and operational assistance to Member States that are facing sudden and extraordinary migration pressures at their borders the fore. FRONTEX’s role as EU decentralized Agency in such critical situations has been debated hotly and at times emotionally, particularly since the Agency’s operational powers have been reinforced. This paper provides a description of FRONTEX’s competencies in stopping organized criminal networks from smuggling migrants into the EU.

One of the components of the European integrated border management that FRONTEX shall now develop is the prevention and detection of migrant smuggling. FRONTEX’s objective consists of both, the existing deficiencies at the national level and responding effectively to exceptional and sudden migratory flows.

Read the entire publication here as a PDF.