On 12 May, Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri addressed the Management Board of Europol at the agency’s headquarters in The Hague.
“Safeguarding Schengen depends on effective operational response at the external borders of the EU. This must be done by effective border management but also by enhancing security checks in the hotspots,” said Leggeri. “This requires a big effort on the part of the member states and EU agencies, such as Europol and Frontex, who work together on the ground.”
Leggeri and Europol Director Rob Wainwright emphasised the importance of cooperation of the two agencies, in particular in the current migratory situation when security screening, supported by Europol, is a very important part of the migrant registration process.
Wainwright and Leggeri agreed that further cooperation between the two agencies not only supports the Member States in protecting the security of the external borders but also the internal security of the European Union.
Last year, Frontex and Europol concluded an operational agreement that allows greater exchange of information between the two agencies. They already cooperate in the area of cross border crime, in particular the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking of human beings.