Archive
Border externalisation: the cost of EU control in West Africa
This issue of the Outsourcing Borders bulletin reveals hundreds of millions of euros in spending for migration control in Mauritania and a plan for Frontex social media monitoring. Read More
Outsourcing Borders: Bulletin 20
This issue shows the EU spending hundreds of millions of euros on migration control in Mauritania, and a Frontex social media monitoring plan Read More
Greece: Rights defenders on trial for supporting refugees and migrants
Panayote Dimitras and Tommy Olsen are accused of facilitating ‘unlawful entry’ into Greece. Both have documented rights violations by Greece including illegal pushbacks. Read More
Outsourcing Borders: Bulletin 19
This issue explains why it matters that the EU has a new 'Action File' on Syria and outlines numerous anti-migration projects in Senegal, Pakistan and more Read More
Outsourcing Borders: Bulletin 18
This issue provides insights into the EU's secretive border management partnerships with Libya, Egypt and others, as well as the latest deportation strategy. Read More
Frontex uses border capacity review to argue its own value
A report from the EU’s border agency Frontex examines the border control capacity of individual member states as well as the EU as a whole. Aside from offering considerable information updates, including changing migration flows and improved operational capacities in some regions, the report also serves as a way for Frontex to tout its own value and remind member states of its continued relevance, ahead of an expected mandate review later in the year. Read More
Europol seeks a new director to ‘shape the agency’s future’
Europol is in the process of hiring a new director to replace Catherine de Bolle. At the same time, the former executive director of Frontex faces a French court for complicity in crimes against humanity. Both agencies have a history of acting beyond the law to prevent people from migrating to Europe, with little to no repercussions. If Europol's new director follows suit, the recent reform to the Europol regulation will likely shield them from adequate oversight. Read More
Frontex’s European blackmail over migrants’ ‘voluntary’ returns
With a 22,900% increase in so-called 'voluntary' returns over the last six years, and a budget in excess of €1 billion, Frontex is fast becoming the protagonist in Europe's border control policy Read More
Frontex mandate review 2026: violent border practices to be expanded further
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, better known as Frontex, is set for a major overhaul, with it seeming likely Frontex’s mandate will be expanded by the end of 2026. Along with increased border guard staffing, the agency could see its role in border control and deportations extended far beyond European territory. In this analysis, researcher Marloes Streppel breaks down the main themes of the proposed Frontex overhaul, details the EU’s main motivations and priorities and concludes with concerns raised by civil society groups and academics. Read More
Documents: EU plans to radically expand border agency’s mandate
Two recent European Council documents reveal internal discussions over the potential expansion of Europe's border agency Frontex. One aim is to make it easier for the agency to operate outside EU borders. The discussions come ahead of the expected formal revision of Frontex’s mandate in 2026 and give a glimpse of what member states and the European Commission have in mind for the agency’s role in the EU’s future deportation machine. Read More