25 February 2019
The Council of the EU last week agreed its mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the new Frontex Regulation, which will further increase the powers and role of the border agency. Statewatch is making the Council's mandate publicly available.
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EU: Council of the European Union: FRONTEX: Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament (LIMITE doc no: 6357-19, 177 pages, pdf):
"In the light of the results of the negotiations at technical level, the Presidency believes that the overall compromise on the draft Regulation, as set out in the Annex to this Note, is a balanced one, caters for most concerns of the delegations and can receive a sufficient degree of support by them.
The Presidency therefore, invites the Committee to confirm this support and give a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the basis of the text set out in the annex."
This follows on from the adoption by the European Parliament's civil liberties committee (LIBE) of its negotiating mandate. See: EP civil liberties committee against proposal to give Frontex powers to assist non-EU states with deportations (13 February 2019)
The Council of the EU published a press release, although its negotiating mandate was not officially made public: European Border and Coast Guard: Council agrees negotiating position (Council of the EU press release, link):
"The EU is working to improve the protection of its external borders, as part of its comprehensive approach to migration. Today, EU ambassadors agreed the Council's negotiating position on a regulation on the European Border and Coast Guard. On the basis of this mandate, the Romanian Presidency of the Council will start negotiations with the European Parliament.
(...)
To ensure a coherent management of the external borders and to be able to respond to situations of crisis a standing corps will be set up, with up to 10 000 operational staff by 2027. This standing corps will be composed of operational staff members from Frontex and from the member states under long or short time secondments.
Deployments of the standing corps will take place as of 1 January 2021. To be able to adapt to future situations and capabilities, 30 months after this, the European Commission will carry out a mid-term review on the overall number and composition of the standing corps. By March 2024, and following the discussion of the review by the Council and the European Parliament, the Commission will present proposals to confirm or amend the number, composition and member states' contributions to the corps."
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