Frontex – A Rising Star of Declining Europe?
Frontex, the EU’s external border control agency, is on the rise. The agency’s mandate and capacities were once more considerably boosted in December 2019. While some welcome this development, others view Frontex as the epitome of the EU’s ugly face. Mindful of this controversy, this symposium edited by Carolyn Moser addresses some of the most pressing legal and political questions raised by the continuously expanding remit of Frontex.
This blogpost will look at the levels of human rights protection and suggest a way forward in light of the agency’s extended tasks and competencies.
Continue reading >>
Especially since the migratory pressure of 2015, the agency has discovered the significance of the African pre-frontier area. The rationale behind this reinforced engagement in Africa is one of pre-emptive border control and migration management.
Continue reading >>
This blog post first sketches out the agency’s successive mandate expansions allowing for a broader geographic theatre of operations. It then examines the law currently governing the exterritorial activities of Frontex, in particular the recently concluded status agreements with Western Balkan countries.
Continue reading >>
Catharina Ziebritzki argues that responsibilities are effectively blurred by the sheer number of actors operating in asylum processing centres at the EU external borders.
Continue reading >>This blogpost contextualises Frontex by discussing a pioneer database in Europe, the German Central Foreigner Register that presumably served as a model when establishing the European databases, and by drawing some lessons from the German case for the European context regarding the effectiveness of database surveillance.
Continue reading >>
For many years, Frontex and border control were of little interest to the wider European public. This changed in the wake of the so-called ‘migrant crisis’ as the agency and its various activities were thrust into the limelight due to a steady stream of allegations of misconduct.
Continue reading >>
This first contribution to the symposium briefly outlines the genesis, development, and status quo of the agency, while the ensuing analyses will zoom in on specific politico-legal matters that are at the core of the current debate.
Continue reading >>
