Migrants, EU wants to strengthen Frontex on repatriations after Ceuta crisis

The European Commission proposes to improve Frontex's ability to "early identify dangerous trends and intervene quickly in the event of an emergency or crisis", in light of what has been learned from the crisis in Ceuta this year.

In particular, it proposes "a dedicated online monitoring and response centre, with an explicit mandate for Frontex to monitor publicly accessible social media content, identify developments relevant to external border management and support action against illicit online content linked to border security risks".

A "rapid reaction force is also foreseen, to be deployed at the external borders at very short notice, to assist Member States in dealing promptly with any crisis or emergency at the external borders". The decision to proceed with deployment can be taken by the Executive Director of Frontex, following a request from a Member State facing an emergency situation.

The Commission then aims to improve the exchange of information in crisis situations, which includes the obligation for Member States to report, within 24 hours, events that could have a significant impact on the EU's borders, through the dedicated Eurosur network.