First external operation of the Frontex agency
(B2) For the European Border Guard Corps, better known by its acronym Frontex, it is a bit of a first today (22 May), with a first deployment outside European borders in Albania
The European agency will deploy 50 officers, 16 patrol cars and 1 vehicle equipped with a thermal vision device, coming from a dozen EU Member States. Resources that come from neighboring countries (Austria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia) of course, but also from elsewhere. Countries from North-East Europe (Latvia, Estonia, Finland), from the East (Poland, Czech Republic), France, Germany and the Netherlands have thus contributed.
Securing the Albanian border
Objective, as stated by its director, Fabrice Leggeri: “ assist Albania with border control and the fight against cross-border crime ». " We are opening an entirely new chapter in our cooperation with Albania and with the entire Western Balkan region on migration and border management “said for his part, in a communicated, the European Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos.
Upcoming operations in the Balkan area
This is the first joint operation by European border guards on the territory of a non-EU country, but certainly not the last. It symbolizes the passage of a stage for the border guard agency. The agency already intervened in support of the Member States, but exclusively on the territory of the latter. From now on, it will be able to intervene outside. These interventions will take place, for the time being, only in the neighboring countries of the Balkans. Apart from Albania, agreements have already been signed or are in the process of being signed with most of the countries in the region (Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia). Agreements allowing the deployment of European police and border guards, at the request of these countries, on well-assigned tasks and for a limited period.
Albanian sovereignty preserved
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
Read comment: two external crisis management tools
Updated: the 'analysis' part has been completed and is the subject of a separate article for more readability
Certain transporters of “deceased” in “sealed coffins” between Viti in Kosovo and Albania have problems to worry about. Prices will go up in Gjilane.
ping: Two external crisis management tools - B2 Brussels2