EU’s Johansson dismisses need to reform Frontex

There is no need to reform the EU’s border and coastguard agency known as Frontex, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Monday in Madrid, despite years of scandals, criticisms, and allegations of inaction, complicity in illegal pushbacks, and other issues related to rescuing or protecting migrants.

To commemorate the 2004 Islamist terrorist attack on the commuter train network that killed 193 people and injured 1,800, Johansson was in Madrid with Margaritis Schinas, European Commission vice-president in charge of promoting our European way of life.

Johansson commented about the need to reform Frontex. “I am quite satisfied with the way Frontex works”, adding, “I don’t think we need a major reform of Frontex.”

At the end of February, EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly called for changes to EU rules on search and rescue at sea after probing the role of Frontex and the deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean.

The inquiry found that the current rules prevent Frontex from fully meeting its fundamental rights obligations and that the agency relies too heavily on EU countries when responding to vessels carrying migrants in distress.

To reach this conclusion, the EU Ombudsman’s office focused most of its investigation on the Adriana tragedy last June, when more than 600 people drowned after Frontex was unable to help in a rescue operation off the Greek coast because it lacked authorisation from the Greek authorities.

“The ombudsman would like to further strengthen the fundamental rights part of Frontex,” Johansson added.

She added, “I am not convinced this is necessary because we already have a strong mandate on fundamental rights.”

Johansson still admitted to Frontex’s problems, pointing to the management under former director Fabrice Leggeri, who has now joined the ranks of the French far-right – even though she said things had “completely changed” for the better since his resignation in 2022.

“Of course, there are challenges for Frontex,” said Johannson.

“We need better training for its permanent corps (…) and more specialised staff; we need member states to be quicker in deployments, but I don’t see that we have a problem with fundamental rights,’ the EU home affairs commissioner added.

The commissioner also defended the EU’s migration and asylum pact, agreed last December and due to be approved by the European Parliament next April, adding that she was not worried that its implementation would be jeopardised by the expected rise of the far-right in June’s EU elections.

“The far-right lives on fear,” she stressed, recalling that these parties present migration as something “uncontrollable,” which, in her opinion, is false.

(Lucía Leal | EFE, Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)